Description
A nation’s character and spirit are often revealed in the designs of its circulation coins. For Canada, no other coin has done this more profoundly than the voyageur silver dollar. Mintage is limited to 7,500 coins.
The Design:
The limited edition proof silver dollar shows a voyageur and a Native person paddling a canoe, inspired by the original design created by Emanuel Hahn. The obverse features the effigy of King George V by Percy Metcalfe.
The Voyageur Silver Dollar:
Canada’s first circulating silver dollar was introduced in 1935 to mark the Silver Jubilee celebrations for King George V. Its design featured a voyageur and Native person paddling a canoe in tribute to the fur trade; the industry that founded the nation—and the image of a vast untamed frontier it conveyed made it one of the most popular coin designs ever to enter circulation in Canada.
The voyageur silver dollar was designed by renowned Toronto sculptor, Emanuel Hahn, making it one of Canada’s first domestically-designed coins and great source of pride. Even though the Royal Canadian Mint had begun striking Canada’s coins in 1908, the designs, tools and dies were still being produced by the Royal Mint in England. This was the case for the coins that were already in circulation when the voyageur silver dollar was introduced. While they were engraved by European sculptors, the presence of maple leaves in their designs hinted at an ever-expanding national identity for a young Canada. In 1935, the voyageur silver dollar brought the essence of the nation’s character to the forefront. It evoked the spirit of adventure that first lured explorers and voyageurs across the continent—an epic idea that continues to inspire centuries later.
