Since it was first introduced in 1971, the cased proof silver dollar has been the classic and most collectible series issued by the Royal Canadian Mint, with each coin featuring a different commemorative of the events and people that contributed to making Canada the country it has become today.  This 2016 fine silver proof cased dollar coin marks the 150th anniversary of the transatlantic cable which ushered in a new era and transformed Newfoundland into a global communication hub.

The Design:

The design by Canadian artist Yves Bérubé features a view of the starboard side of the S.S. Great Eastern as it rests in the harbour of Heart’s Content, Newfoundland.  The Great Eastern with her four funnels and six masts easily dwarfs the fishing boat off her bow. The front is engraved with the word “CANADA” and “Dollar,” and the date “2016”.  The coin contains just over one ounce of pure silver, and has a limited mintage of 20,000. As a pure silver coin struck by the Royal Canadian Mint, this item is GST/HST exempt.

Transatlantic Cable:

On July 27, 1866 the S.S. Great Eastern steamed into Heart’s Content Newfoundland, to complete link that could relay messages quickly between the Old World and the New World. This undersea cable runs under the Altantic Ocean used for telegraph communications.  It ran from Telegraph Field, Foilhommerum Bay, Valencia Island in western Ireland to Heart’s Content in eastern Newfoundland. The first communications occurred August 16, 1858, reducing the communication time between North America and Europe from ten days (the time it took for a message to be delivered by ship), to a much shorter time.  The transatlantic telegraph cables have since been replaced by transatlantic telecommunications cables.