Description
Capture the rare opportunity to see and own never before issued coins designed by one of Canada’s greatest coin artists and sculptors more than 80 years ago. Following his highly regarded design for the 1935 Voyageur dollar, in 1936 the renowned artist Emanuel Hahn submitted several concepts for new circulation coinage, including designs that now appear on our familiar Beaver nickel, Bluenose dime, and Caribou Quarter. But other models by Hahn with significant merit were not selected, and the original art for these designs has remained in the archives of the Royal Canadian Mint since this time. Some of Hahn’s “coins that never were” finally make the first-time leap from artwork to coin in this three-coin tribute set. Each design has been struck in a large 38 mm format containing just over one ounce of pure silver. Mintage is limited to just 5,500. HST/GST exempt.
Coin Designs:
Each reverse features one of several designs proposed by Emanuel Hahn (1881-1957) for the new Canadian circulation coins which were issued in 1937. To remain true to the artist’s vision, the Royal Canadian Mint’s engravers followed every fine detail from Hahn’s sketches, which are now part of the National Currency Collection. The obverse of each coin features the effigy of King George VI by T.H. Paget as would have appeared with these reverse designs if they had been issued for circulation in 1937.
Polar Bear 25 Cents:
The first 25-cent coin design features a polar bear standing on an ice floe, its head turned toward the right side of the coin, while the open sea is visible behind the mound. A stylistic representation of the Aurora Borealis hangs over the low horizon and stretches across the northern sky, only yielding to the Big Dipper asterism that is a common element on all three coins. The word “CANADA” is engraved at the top while the face value “25 CENTS” and the updated year “2018” are engraved over the ice.
Canada Goose 25 Cents:
The diamond-like stars are more prominent in the second 25-cent coin design which centers on a goose in flight. The side-profile view allows for the inclusion of several details, including the flight feathers along the outstretched wings. Here again, the Big Dipper adds a point of interest to the field, where the face value “25 CENTS”, the year “2018” and the word “CANADA” are also engraved in the starry sky.
Caribou 5 Cents:
The five-cent coin’s reverse has a remarkable tie to the present, as it is Hahn’s original precursor to the Caribou image now synonymous with Canada’s 25-cent circulation coin. Viewed in side profile, the caribou moves beneath the night sky, where the Big Dipper is clearly visible. The caribou’s antlers reach into the legend, where the word “CANADA” is engraved alongside the year “2018”; beneath the flat landscape, an oversized “5” winds its way through the word “CENTS”.
