Good news, fans of flying saucer memorabilia! The Royal Canadian Mint has just released a 1 oz. pure silver coin in commemoration of one of the best close encounters of the second kind (CEII) in the annals of UFOlogy: The Michalak/Falcon Lake incident, which last year celebrated its 50 anniversary.

CEII cases, according to the J. Allen Hynek classification system, are encounters with anomalous objects which directly alter the surrounding environment and/or the witness(es) in one way or another; this ‘trace evidence’ is highly valued by researchers because it not only lends more credence to the report –since it doesn’t only hinge on the witness’s personal testimony– but it might also yield something (soil samples, burned vegetation, etc) which can be taken to a laboratory for further study, hence our scientific understanding of the phenomenon could potentially be advanced –or an actual solution to the case can be reached using mundane explanations.

The Royal Canadian Mint site gives a pretty good summary of the case:

Around midday on May 20, 1967, amateur prospector Stefan (Stephen) Michalak was on the hunt for precious metals in Whiteshell Provincial Park when he suddenly noticed two strange objects in the sky. Both glowed with an intense red and glare as they descended from the sky; one abruptly left the scene, but the other landed roughly 50 metres away from Michalak, who moved in to get a closer look. The humming object was described as having a sulphurous smell, and it appeared to be made from a stainless steel-like material. Peering into a brightly lit opening, Michalak heard muffled sounds and tried calling out to them, only to be met with silence. He touched the seamless sides of the craft, which melted the tips of his glove; and when the UFO suddenly lifted off the ground, it emitted a blast of hot air or gas that knocked Michalak on his back, igniting his shirt and causing a grid-like pattern of third-degree burns to his chest. What was the strange craft? Where did it come from? It’s a story that has more questions than answers. Michalak never claimed the craft was an alien one; neither did he waver in his account of what he had seen and experienced that day, even under the scrutiny of doctors, scientists, law enforcement officials and other authorities, who could neither corroborate nor disprove the close encounter.

Indeed, Michalak initially though the disk –despite its exotic appearance– must have been an experimental aircraft tested by “the Yankee boys” or even his own government; let’s not forget the Canadian Avro company is famously credited for developing a prototype ‘flying saucer’ in the late 50’s, which turned out to be too unstable for a pilot to control it –although perhaps that issue could be solved nowadays with computer-assisted avionics.

There are only a couple of things missing in the summary, such as how Michalak tried to communicate to whomever was inside the saucer–he only heard “voices muffled by the sounds from the craft”– first in English, then in his native Polish, followed by Russian and German. The only response he obtained was that the voices grew quiet.

After he was ‘blasted’ by the heated exhaustion gases of the object as it departed, Michalak became immediately nauseated and puked –which if accurately depicted by artist Joel Kimmel, who designed the commemorative coin, would probably not have made it such a nice family heirloom…

Michalak suffered for weeks afterwards of symptoms reminiscent of radiation poisoning: diarrhea, headaches, blackouts and weight loss.

Another important missing detail is that investigators later found a 15-foot circle at the alleged landing site, devoid of moss and vegetation. Retrieved soil samples turned out to show above-average levels of radioactivity. Pieces of metal were also found in the cracks of a nearby rock, showing further evidence of the high temperature levels of the craft prior to departing –after exiting out of the vehicle, Michalak touched its walls and the tips of the gloves he was wearing melted.

All of this undoubtedly make the Falcon Case incident the best UFO case in all of Canada. Researcher Chris Rutkowski and Stan Michalak (son of Stefan, who died in 1999) published a book last year recounting the case, so what better companion for your copy on your book shelf than this cool piece of UFOlogical memorabilia? It even glows in the dark!

The 1 oz. pure silver coin Falcon Lake Incident coin can be purchased here. Be sure to keep it safely locked in when the MIB knock on your door.

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NOTE: The Daily Grail is not being sponsored by The Royal Canadian Mint.