Canadian 1, 2 and 5 Dollar Coins

SILVER DOLLARS

Canadian silver dollars were struck for circulation between 1935 and 1967 from an alloy of 80% silver with 20% copper, with each coin containing 0.6 troy ounces of pure silver. Most have the standard voyageur design, although a few commemoratives have other designs, which will be noted in the descriptions.

GEORGE V
1911 to 1936

Although patterns were struck for a silver dollar in 1911, none were issued for circulation and the two examples known to still exist cannot be considered "Coin of the Realm".

IMAGE OF 1935 TYPE ONLY

The first true circulating Canadian silver dollar was the 1935 issue with the standard voyageur design. The obverse has the anniversary portrait of George V, with an inscription that reads "GEORGIVS V REX IMPERATOR ANNO REGNI XXV" which can be roughly translated as "GEORGE THE 5th, KING, EMPEROR FOR THE 25th YEAR". (Emperor refers to his title as Emperor of India.)

1935 25th year of George V ......... MS-63       SOLD




The 1936 dollar looks very much like the 1935, except it uses the standard George V inscription, and a modified bust.


IMAGE OF 1936 TYPE ONLY



1936 ............................... XF-40       SOLD




In 1936, silver dollars were again issued, but with the regular George V portrait and inscription, "GEORGIVS V DEI GRA REX ET IND IMP" (latin for "GEORGE V BY THE GRACE OF GOD KING AND EMPEROR OF INDIA".)





GEORGE VI
1937 to 1952


IMAGE OF 1937 to 1938 and 1945 to 1947 TYPE ONLY



1938 ............................... AU-58       SOLD




In 1939, a special silver dollar was issued with an image of the Parliament buildings in Ottawa, with an inscription above the buildings that reads "FIDE SVORVM REGNAT", meaning "He reigns by the faith of his people". This coin actually commemorates the Royal Visit to Canada that year by George VI and Queen Elizabeth.


IMAGE OF 1939, TYPE ONLY



1939 ............................... AU-55       SOLD




From 1940 to 1944, due to the second world war, no silver dollars were issued by Canada, but in 1945 they were again struck with the normal voyageur design, although from 1945 to 1948 the mintages were small.




1945 single HP ..................... XF-45   $250.00




After 1945 the head of George VI was slightly redesigned. While superficially similar, the new design has much more deeply engraved hair. Examples of both types exist for 1946 and 1947 dollars, but all 1948 and later dollars have deep hairlines. When grading George VI dollars, shallow hairline issues must be graded by a different standard than the deep hairline examples. A deep hairline dollar in VF will show more detail in the hair, but much more disturbance of the lustre, than a shallow hairline example in AU. The 1947 dollar comes with two different shaped 7's in the date. The Blunt 7 is has a tail that points down and slightly to the left. The Pointed 7 is slightly longer and the tail has a distinct curve at the end that makes it point down and very slightly to the right. The 1947 dollars are even more complicated, because on some dies the HP below the King's head was punched in more than once, and specimens are seen with single, double, triple and even quadrupal HP's.




1946 ............................... AU-50       SOLD




In 1947 India received its independence, so "IND IMP" (India's Emperor) had to be removed from the King's titles on any British Commonwealth coins dated 1948 or newer. In 1948, while waiting for dies with the corrected titles to be sent from England, Canadian coins dated 1947, with "IND IMP", were struck with a small maple leaf behind the date to indicate they were actually minted in 1948.




1947 maple leaf, double HP ........ XF-45      SOLD




Late in 1948 the dies for the 1948 dates silver dollars, with the new obverse inscription, arrived arrived but only about 18,600 coins were struck. This is the rarest date of Canadian silver dollars issued for circulations (only the 1911 which was never issued for circulated is rarer).


IMAGE OF 1948 and 1950 to 1952 TYPE ONLY



1948 ............................... MS-60      SOLD




In 1949 Newfoundland (up to then a separate country) joined with Canada to become the 10th province. To commemorate this event, silver dollars were issued with an image of the "Matthew", the ship sailed by the explorer John Cabot when he first visited Newfoundland in 1497. These coins tended to be saved so are seldom seen with significant wear on them. They were also handled more carefully for shipping from the mint than other coins in this period, and so have much fewer bag marks than other dollars of this period, and tend to be very nice looking coins in the high grades.


IMAGE OF 1949 TYPE ONLY



1949 .............................. AU-50    $29.50
1949 .............................. AU-55    $32.50




In 1950 the regular voyageur reverse design was resumed. During the early and mid-1950's, silver dollar dies were at times re-polished in the mint, and parts of the designs were weakened or removed. This resulted in many variations on the number and length of the water lines in front of the canoe.




1950 .............................. AU-58       SOLD




As explained below for the 1955 Arnprior dollars, some 1950 and 1951 dollars exist with only 2 1/2 water lines, and are also known as Arnprior varieties.




1951 ............................... AU-55       SOLD




The 1952 silver dollars exists with both long (regular), short, and no water lines in front of the canoe. The short water line variety is listed in the trend sheet, but not the Charlton catalogue. ICCS will now only certify varieties listed in the Charlton catalogue, and so will not certify the short water line variety as to variety.




1952 no water line ................. MS-63      SOLD





ELIZABETH II
1953-present

Young Head Series


IMAGE OF 1953 to 1957 AND 1959 TO 1963 TYPE ONLY

When the first issue of Elizabeth appeared in 1953, it was quickly noticed that her shoulder was bare. This was considered inappropriate, so the design was redrawn to include a fold of cloth over the shoulder, and a slight change in some of the letter forms. 1953 silver dollars occur in two types: SS - shoulder strap NSS - no shoulder strap




1953 NSS ........................... MS-60      SOLD




The term "Arnprior" was first applied to 1955 silver dollars with only 1 and 1/2 of the small water lines in front of the canoe. No trace of a third waterline can be visible, even at 10 x magnification. These were struck when a business in Arnprior, Ontario ordered dollars for a giveaway to its employees, but with none available at the mint they had to do a special production run to fill the order. With no fresh dies available, the mint re-polished an already used reverse die, removing part of the water lines as they polished it, and paired it with a deteriorating obverse die with a small die crack running between the "T" and "I" of "GRATIA". That same re-polished obverse die was later used with a fresher obverse die, so 1955 1 1/2 waterline dollars also exist without the die break, but those with the die break are worth more. To complicate things slightly more, all circulation strike dollars with the die break are of the arnprior dollar, but that cracked die was used for some Proof-like quality dollars that are not of the arnprior type.




1955 Arnprior ...........,..... PROOF-LIKE      SOLD




1956 ............................... MS-63    $77.50




In 1958, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of British Colombia becoming a British Territory, silver dollars were issued with an image of a Totem Pole (beaver totem) similar to those for which the Coastal Indians of British Colombia are well known. We are told that to some tribes, this is the "Death Totem", and many Native North Americans refuse to handle these dollars, due to their religious beliefs. This may be an Urban myth.


IMAGE OF 1958, TYPE ONLY



1958, Totem pole ................... MS-64     SOLD




In 1964 silver dollars were issued to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Charlottetown Conference where, in 1864, the negotiations were started that led to Canadian Confederation as a distinct country.


IMAGE OF 1964, TYPE ONLY



1964, Charlottetown ..... cameo PROOF-LIKE      SOLD





ELIZABETH II

Mature Head Series




In 1965, it was decided that the portrait of Elizabeth should be brought up to date, with a more mature look, and with the addition of a tiara on her head.


IMAGE OF 1965 to 1966 TYPE ONLY



1965 type 5 ............. cameo PROOF-LIKE       SOLD




1967 saw the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation. All 1967 coin denominations, from the cent to the dollar, bore designs of Canadian animals, with a flying Canada Goose on the dollar.


IMAGE OF 1967 TYPE ONLY



1967 Goose .................... PROOF-LIKE       SOLD




The 1967 dollar was the last circulating SILVER dollar. From 1968 until 1986 similar dollar coins continued to be struck for circulation, but of nickel with no silver content. A listing of these issues will be found further below.






SILVER COMMEMORATIVE DOLLARS




From 1968 to 1970 only nickel dollars were struck, but in 1971 the mint realized that there was a collector demand for actual SILVER dollars and instituted a series of special commemorative dollars that were never meant for circulation. The silver issues are 36 mm in diameter, making them easy to differentiate from nickel issues which are only 32 mm. From 1971 to 1980 these dollars were only struck in Specimen quality, and came in black imitation leather boxes and in the double dollar sets. Starting in 1981 both Uncirculated and Proof quality were struck, with the Proofs in the black boxes (and Proof Sets) and the Uncirculated in hard plastic holders. The examples we offer on this page have been removed from their boxes and are in standard 2x2 card holders.




1979, Griffon (ship) ............ SPECIMEN    $12.00
1980, Polar bear ................ SPECIMEN    $18.00
1981, Trans-Canada Railway ......... PROOF    $17.50
1982, Regina (Cow skull) ........... PROOF    $11.50
1983, World University games ....... PROOF    $ 8.00
1984, Toronto Sesquicentennial ..... PROOF    $12.00
1987, John Davis ................... PROOF    $12.00
1992, Kingston to York stage coach . PROOF    $17.50





NICKEL DOLLARS




The following coins are struck in pure nickel. Most have the standard voyageur design on the reverse, but some, where indicated, have other commemorative designs.




In 1968 there are five varieties of the nickle dollar. The first three describe the nature of the tip of the island that sticks out in front of the canoe, and the last two describe variations that occur in the water lines in front of the canoe : 1) REGULAR ISLAND 2) SMALL ISLAND 3) NO ISLAND 4) DOUBLED WATER LINES. 5) EXTRA WATER LINE (above the regular ones, and found only in PL sets).




1968 small island .................. MS-63    $10.00




1971 .................... cameo PROOF-LIKE    $10.00




1973 PEI COMMEM ... heavy cameo PROOF-LIKE    $24.50




In 1974 some of the nickel dollars have an extra upright bar on the oxen Yoke, and these are known as the "double yoke" variety.




1974 WINN. COMM. double yoke ....... MS-62       SOLD




In 1977 there are three nickel dollar varieties in the length of the water lines in front of the canoe, and if the first jewel at the front of the Queen's crown is attached or detached : Type #1 - attached jewel with short water lines Type #2 - detached jewel with long water lines Type #3 - detached jewel with short water lines




1977 Type 1 ........................ MS-60    $ 5.00
1977 Type 1 ........................ MS-62    $ 6.00
1977 Type 1 ........................ MS-63    $ 7.75

1977 Type 3 ........................ MS-63    $ 6.00




1982 Voyageur ...................... PROOF    $ 5.00




In 1987 no nickel dollars were issued for circulation, as the aureated-bronze plated nickel "LOONS" were introduced that year, but for some reason standard nickel dollars were struck for inclusion in the Proof-like, Specimen and Proof sets.




1987 .......................... PROOF-LIKE      SOLD






BRASS DOLLARS




The following coins are made of gold-colored bronze on a pure nickel core and have the appearance of brass. All have the standard loon design unless otherwise indicated. All, including those in Proof or Specimen quality, are in standard 2x2 holders unless otherwise specified.




1988 ............................... PROOF    $ 8.00




1989 ............................... PROOF    $ 8.00




From 1997 to 2000 no loon dollars were struck for circulation, but they are available from the mint sets in either Proof, Proof-like, and Specimen quality. In 1997 they made both a regular loon and special flying loon, with the flying loon is only found in the specimen sets.




1997 regular loon .................. PROOF      SOLD




1997 flying loon ................ SPECIMEN    $40.00




From 1998 to 2003 the Canadian Mint placed a small "W" mint mark in front of the Queen's neck on coins struck at Winnipeg, and no mint mark on coins struck at Ottawa.




1998 W ........................ PROOF-LIKE       SOLD




In 2002, to commemorate Queen Elizabeth's 50th anniversary as Queen, all Canadian coins including the $1.00 coins were struck with the date moved to the obverse below the Queen's head, but with the double date "1952 to 2002". After 2002 they returned the date to it's normal position on the reverse.




2002 double dated ............. PROOF-LIKE      SOLD




2003 W ........................ PROOF-LIKE    $ 7.75




2005 .......................... PROOF-LIKE    $ 4.00






TWO DOLLAR COINS

In 1994 and 1995 the Royal Canadian mint was experimenting with different shapes, alloys and weights for the proposed $2.00 coins that were eventually issued in 1996. Test tokens were made of various possibilities, with 17 different types now documented. The only type officially made for sale to the public were the 28 mm, 7.30 grams, 1.7 mm thick with interrupted serrations, bi-metallic tokens of the format that was eventually adopted for the $2.00 coins.




Type TT-200.6, 9.3 gr, 24.6 mm, reeded ...   $110.00





In 1996 Canada stopped issuing $2.00 bills and replaced them with a bimetallic $2.00 coin, commonly known as a "twoonie". The standard design has a polar bear on it, but a few commemoratives with other designs have been struck and will be noted in the descriptions of those types. The proof strikings were of sterling silver. There are a few years when commemorative designs were struck and which we will describe when listing. Any for which special types are not indicated are of the standard one bear design.




From 1998 to 2003 the Canadian Mint placed a small "W" mint mark in front of the Queen's neck on coins struck at Winnipeg, and no mint mark on coins struck at Ottawa.




1997 .......................... PROOF-LIKE    $ 4.00
1997 ............................ SPECIMEN    $ 6.75
1997 ........................ silver PROOF    $13.50




1998 W ........................ PROOF-LIKE    $ 4.00




2003 W ........................ PROOF-LIKE    $12.50




2005 .......................... PROOF-LIKE    $ 4.00




2006 regular .................. PROOF-LIKE    $ 5.00




2006 logo ....................... SPECIMEN       SOLD





FIVE DOLLAR GOLD COINS

From 1912 to 1914, Canada struck $5.00 gold coins to the same purity and weight standards as the American $5.00 gold coins of that period.


IMAGE OF 1912 to 1914 TYPE ONLY



1912 ............................... AU-55       SOLD





TEN DOLLAR GOLD COINS

From 1912 to 1914, Canada struck $10.00 gold coins to the same purity and weight standards as the American $10.00 gold coins of that period.


IMAGE OF 1912 to 1914 TYPE ONLY



1912 ........................... NGC MS-62      SOLD





CANADIAN MINT GOLD SOVEREIGNS

In 1908 to 1911, 1913, 1914, and 1916 to 1919, gold sovereigns were struck at the Royal Canadian mint, with a "C" mint mark on the ground line below the horse's hoof.


Canada Gold Sovereign TYPE ONLY



1911 C ............................. MS-60      SOLD