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Masters of Coin Design: Susan Taylor
By GovMint:
Susan Taylor is one of the most reputable and awarded engravers and sculptors in the history of the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM). Having retired as a Senior Engraver after a 33-year career as a coin artist and medal engraver, Susan Taylor left a lasting impact on Canadian and global numismatics. Learn more about Susan Taylor’s accomplishments and some of the most famous Susan Taylor coins here with GovMint’s Masters of Coin Design series.
Who Is Susan Taylor?
Before Susan Taylor started her career in numismatics, she studied art and history at McMaster University. Her background in art led her to an apprenticeship as a Mint Engraver and launched her career as a notable Canadian coin designer. The Royal Canadian Mint hired Susan Taylor as a Mint Engraver in 1981.
Susan Taylor & The Royal Canadian Mint
At the beginning of Susan Taylor’s career as a coin designer, she worked with oil-based clay and waxed plaster, specializing in bas-relief sculptures. She also showed considerable skill in 3D sculpting with some of the first digital sculpting programs. Susan Taylor sculpted coin designs and prepared master tooling for 15 years until she left the RCM in 1996 for family obligations.
After a three-year break from the industry, Taylor returned to the RCM as a Senior Engraver. Her career as a coin artist exceeded 33 years with the RCM and resulted in some of the best-known and recognized coins in Canadian numismatic history. Susan Taylor’s accomplishments include joining the International Art Medal Federation (FIDEM), winning the 2016 American Medal of the Year Award, and earning the 2023 Coin of The Year Lifetime Achievement Award.
Notable Canadian Coin Designs from Susan Taylor
Some of the most notable Susan Taylor designs include coins issued as recently as 2023. Her work as a coin artist for the RCM continues to inspire coin designers and collectors around the world. Learn more about some of Susan Taylor’s most iconic coin designs below.
Remembrance Medal
Susan Taylor’s Remembrance Medal won the 2016 American Medal of the Year Award over 29 competing entries. Taylor’s inspiration for this piece was her grandfather, George Edie, who fought alongside fellow soldiers in the Second Battle of Ypres during the “Great War for Civilization.” The medal features a young boy in a barbed wire frame on the obverse and poppies emerging from the barbed wire on the reverse, symbolizing the sacrifice of imprisonment, emotional trauma, and the loss of life.
Peace & Liberty Medals
Susan Taylor created the classical design for Lady Peace which debuted in the 2019 Peace & Liberty Medals. The series marked the first time the RCM and U.S. Mint collaborated on a medal, as Susan Taylor designed the “Peace” side of the medal and former U.S. Mint Chief Engraver John Mercanti designed the “Liberty” obverse.
The depictions of Lady Liberty and Peace on the medal come from Canada’s National War Memorial, which features a bronze allegorical representation of liberty and peace over statues of 22 Canadian soldiers.
Canada Peace Dollar Series
The 2019 Peace & Liberty Medal evolved into the popular Canada Peace Dollar series, which has been issued annually since 2020 and features Taylor’s Lady Peace design front and center. The series is famous for its unique embellishments and many firsts.
The series is celebrating its 5th anniversary in 2025, and to mark the occasion, the RCM commissioned the first-ever design update in the series, offering collectors the chance to own the full vision of the Peace and Liberty design that debuted on the Liberty & Peace Medal in 2019. Taylor’s new 2025 Canada Peace Dollar reverse design is rich in symbolism. It shows a "zoomed-out" version of Taylor's original reverse design, which results in a lovely, full-bodied depiction of Lady Peace striding along the Canadian Coast.
Light of Liberty Coins
Lady Liberty has long been an iconic figure in U.S. coinage since her appearance on the nation’s first official coin in 1792. The Light of Liberty Trilogy features three unique depictions of Lady Liberty from non-U.S. coin artists, with Susan Taylor designing the first in the trilogy.
Susan Taylor’s design features Lady Liberty standing in front of the sunrise with her right arm wrapped around a billowing U.S. flag and her left arm raising a torch. John Mercanti designed the obverse for the series, which depicts a flying eagle and a sunrise.
Masters of Coin Design at GovMint
Susan Taylor has produced some of the best coin designs minted by the RCM. Her experience and talent for sculpting are evident in her designs, and industry leaders have praised her passion for coin design.
Find other award-winning designs from notable coin artists such as Beth Zaiken, Natanya Van Niekerk, and Emily Damstra in our ongoing Masters of Coin Design series at GovMint.
Check Out These Stunning Susan Taylor Designs!
References
About Susan Taylor
- https://www.numismaticnews.net/world-coins/susan-taylor-receives-lifetime-achievement-award-for-excellence-in-engraving-and-design
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/asset-marketing-services-llc_susan-taylor-began-her-career-at-the-royal-activity-7178860346684633090-npAy/
- https://www.everand.com/article/635030773/Susan-Taylor
- https://medalists.ca/susan-taylor/
Susan Taylor Coin Designs
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