Fighter planes were all-new during the First World War. In March 1917, a young pilot who would become Canada’s top flying ace took to the air. Billy Bishop, born on February 8, 1894 in Owen Sound (Ontario), was 23 years old when he downed his firstGerman plane on his first mission. By the end of the War, he had 72 victories to his credit, ranking only third behind the 80 claimed by Manfred von Richthofen, Germany’s legendary Red Baron.

Collect our first-ever coin featuring Billy Bishop!

• HONOURS BILLY BISHOP! This is our first coin to honour Billy Bishop, Canada’s famous flying ace of the First World War.
• TRUE CANADIAN WARTIME MEMORABILIA! Your coin features archival photographs that have been meticulously reproduced as intricate engravings and a beautiful colour portrait–an innovative combination of two technologies.
• FEATURES “LITTLE DAISY”! Your coin features the plane that Billy Bishop flew on his historic solo raid of June 2,1917 (a Nieuport 17 that he affectionately called “Little Daisy”).
• THE DAWN OF THE AVIATION AGE! This stunning tribute to a pilot and his plane embodies all the excitement at the dawn of the aviation age, its revolutionizing impact on military warfare, and the daring young men who made it possible.
• A GREAT CANADIAN WAR HERO! Your coin is a must-have keepsake of a greatCanadian war hero and the first Air Force recipientof the Victoria Cross!
• INCLUDES SERIALIZED CERTIFICATE! The Royal Canadian Mint certifies all of its collector coins.
• 1 OZ. PURE SILVER! Your coin is crafted from one ounce of 99.99% pure silver.
• NO GST/HST!

Your coin features Billy Bishop standing with his first plane, a Nieuport 17 that he affectionately called “Little Daisy”. In the foreground, a full-colour portrait of the flying ace with “BILLY BISHOP 1894-1956” engraved to the right of his shoulder. Royal Canadian Mint engravers reproduced archival photographsto create this design. The effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt with “20 DOLLARS” and “ELIZABETH II D.G. REGINA” engraved along the outer edge of the coin is featured on your coin’s obverse.

• Billy Bishop’s best-known feat is his daring solo raid of June 2, 1917. He destroyed three German planes and sent a fourth one into retreat–a victory that earned him the first Victoria Cross to ever be awarded to the Air Force.
• Fighter planes of the First World War were built of canvas and wood. Top speeds were 160 KPH. It was a majorachievement to fly 16 km into enemy territory. There were no parachutes on board. If a plane caught fire, it was unlikely the pilot would survive.
• Billy Bishop perfected the game of “chicken.” He would fly straight at his enemy and refuse to move. Then, at the last possible moment, he would send a shower of bullets into the enemy’s engine before swerving out of the way.
• In his book, Winged Warfare, Billy Bishop wrote, “It was the mud, I think, that made me take to flying.” After arriving in France,the author found himself up to his knees in mud on a stormy July day. When a plane landed and took off nearby, “I knew there was only one place to be on such a day–up above the clouds in the summersunshine.”
• Billy Bishop’s contributions continued through the Second World War. As an Honorary Air Marshal he played a key role in recruiting for the Royal CanadianAir Force and drew worldwide attention to the RCAF and to the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.

Your coin is encapsulated and presented in a Royal Canadian Mint-branded maroon clamshell with a black beauty box.

Order today!