Description
This set is a treasure trove of historic coin designs inspired by Canada’s circulation coinage from 1935 with the famed Voyageur silver dollar as its centrepiece. Each coin is double–dated (1935-2010) and presented in an attractive maple wood display case.
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 remaining coins feature designs inspired by the maple leaf. The garlands on the 25- and 10-cent coins were designed by W.H.J. Blakemore, based on a concept by L.C. Wyon, while the 5- and 1-cent coins were originally designed by W.H.J. Blakemore and Fred Lewis, respectively. The obverses feature the effigy of King George V by Percy Metcalfe (Silver Dollar) and Sir E.B. MacKennal (25-, 10-, 5- and 1-cent coins).
The Voyageur:
The famous Voyageur silver dollar is arguably one of the most popular and enduring coin designs ever issued in the history of Canadian coinage. To this day, its design of a voyageur and Native person paddling a canoe conveys the spirit of adventure—the golden age of the fur trade that spurred exploration across a vast frontier and, in doing so, founded a nation.
When the voyageur silver dollar was introduced to mark the 1935 Silver Jubilee celebrations for King George V, it was also Canada’s first circulating silver dollar. But these two facts weren’t the only sources of pride for this new issue—the voyageur silver dollar was also one of Canada’s first domestically-designed coins.
By 1935, the Royal Canadian Mint had been striking Canada’s coins for 27 years, but 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 circulating when the Voyageur silver dollar was introduced; and although 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. The voyageur silver dollar captured the essence of the nation’s untamed character and brought it to the forefront—an epic design that will remain highly collectible for generations to come.
