Am I glad I did... for a found this pewter medallion in a black velvet presentation box that's a perfect addition to my Studio (yep, anything with crowns or Royal emblems fits right in):
It's very heavy and measures about 2.5" across. Canada's Royal Coat of Arms is embossed on the front and the back is inscribed with "Parliament of Canada" in both English and French with the maker's mark on the bottom.
When I brought it home, I couldn't find anything about it online... other than the website for the maker Aitken's Pewter. I contacted them and found out that this medallion is from 2007 and was provided to the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa as a souvenir that MLAs could hand out.
A very cool item to find, especially when Canada Day was coming up.
I just love this tabletop ad I picked up at a restaurant many, many years ago... would can resist a flag-bearing beaver and beer? Oh so Canadian:
Speaking of beavers, here's my favorite one of all
So to all my fellow Canucks across our wonderful, beautiful country I hope on Monday you have a