Canadian Silver Voyageur Dollar 1948 King George VI
Obverse: The portrait in left profile of George VI is surrounded with the inscription "GEORGIVS VI DEI GRATIA REX" (George VI, King by the grace of God) and with deeper hairlines making the coins look sharper in mint state than earlier dates.
Lettering: GEORGIVS VI DEI GRATIA REX.
Engraver: Thomas Humphrey Paget.
The obverse design for 1948 silver dollar changed from the previous year to offset the change of official title of George VI as Emperor of India. Following India's independence in 1947 King George VI ceased being its Emperor and his title on the coins had to be changed accordingly. For Canadian coinage, the deletion of "ET IND: IMP:" (AND EMPEROR OF INDIA) from the obverse legend was to occur in 1948.
Reverse: A voyageur and an aboriginal travelling by canoe, carrying bundles of which one bears the initials "HB" for Hudson's Bay Company, are surrounded with the facial value and the inscription "CANADA".
Lettering: CANADA 1948 DOLLAR.
Engraver: Emanuel Hahn.
Edge: Milled.
Years: 1948-1952
Value: 1 Canadian Dollar
Metal: Silver (.8000)
Weight: 23.3276 g
Diameter: 36.06 mm
Thickness: 2.84 mm
Shape: Round
Mintage: 18,780
With a mintage of about 18,600, the 1948 dollar is the rarest Canadian circulating silver dollar.
Voyageur Dollar
Canadian Silver Voyageur Dollar 1948 King George VI
Canadian Coins - King George VI
Canadian Silver Voyageur Dollar 1948 King George VI
The First Attempt to Canadianize Coinage
The depiction of a canoe on the 1935 silver dollar marked the first attempt to "Canadianize" the designs on the country's coinage. In 1937 a completely new set of coins was issued with designs highlighting themes drawn from Canadian wildlife and flora. These designs, including the famous beaver on the 5-cent coin, grace our coins to this day.Although legislation was passed in May 1910 authorizing the striking of silver dollars in Canada, a series of events - a change in government, the First World War, high silver prices and, finally, the Great Depression - delayed their appearance until 1935. In November 1934, Emanuel Hahn, an eminent artist and sculptor, was commissioned to design a silver dollar to commemorate the 1935 silver jubilee of King George V's accession to the throne. Hahn's original design was rejected by the Minister of Finance, Edgar N. Rhodes, who then suggested a design involving the concept of a canoe with a voyageur or a Native Canadian. Hahn's representation of this idea, approved with only minor modifications by the Minister, was truly evocative of Canada: a voyageur and a Native Canadian paddling a canoe form the central motif, against a background of northern lights and wind-swept trees on an islet. CANADA appears above the design, with the date and denomination below.
In the canoe are trade bales, one of which bears the letters HB for the Hudson's Bay Company, recognizing the role the Company played both in trade and in opening the country. The initials of the artist, E.H., appear under the back end of the canoe. This popular reverse was used on all Canadian dollars struck between 1935 and 1967, with the exception of commemorative designs used in 1939, 1949, 1958, 1964 and 1967. When the nickel dollar was introduced in l968, the voyageur and Native Canadian design was retained and, with the exception of 1970, 1971, 1973 and 1974, was used until 1987. Silver dollars and their successors, the nickel dollars, did not enjoy a wide circulation but were extremely popular as gifts and souvenirs.
Voyageur Dollar
The Voyageur Dollar was a coin of Canada struck for circulation from 1935 through 1986. Until 1968, the coin was composed of 80% silver. A smaller, nickel version for general circulation was struck from 1968 through 1986. In 1987, the coin was replaced by the loonie. However, like all of Canada's discontinued coins, the voyageur dollar coins remain legal tender.In 1911, after lengthy debate, the first Canadian silver dollar was struck. Only two remain, one in a museum, the other in private hands, and recently auctioned for $1.4 million.
In 1935, a commemorative silver dollar was struck for King George V's Silver Jubilee. It showed the King on the obverse (front) and, a canoe containing a voyageur, or unlicensed fur trader (and a native man), on the reverse (back). The canoe also contains two bundles of furs—on one, the initials HB, for Hudson's Bay Company may be seen. The reverse was designed by Emanuel Hahn.
Struck in silver
The issue was generally considered a success, and beginning in 1936, the silver dollar (in .800 fine silver) was struck more-or-less annually as a regular issue for general circulation, with the same reverse design as in 1935. Although commemorative dollars were struck for circulation for the visit of King George VI in 1939, no regular issue dollars were struck that year, or, as it turned out, until the end of World War II in 1945. Thereafter, Voyageur Dollars were struck each year through 1966, except in years (e.g. 1935, 1939, and 1958) when a commemorative dollar was struck for circulation. In 1967, a special "flying goose" design was struck for the Canadian Centennial.
Nickel version
Beginning in 1968, following the 1967 special Canadian centennial series, which included a new commemorative dollar as well as new commemorative designs for the remaining 5 coins (1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 cents), the Voyageur Dollar series resumed. It now, however, was struck in pure nickel with the diameter reduced from 36 mm to 32 mm, as Canada's coinage was debased from silver to nickel. In 1970, 1971, 1973, and 1974, the series was interrupted for circulating commemorative nickel dollars. Circulating commemorative nickel dollars were struck again in 1982 and 1984, but the Voyageur dollar was also produced. It was struck last for circulation in 1986 and for collectors in 1987.
Change of design
The nickel dollar never circulated well. However, a need was seen by the mint for a circulating dollar coin. To encourage circulation, the size was to be reduced, the colour was to be changed, and the one-dollar note eliminated from circulation.
The Voyageur design was to be used. However, a set of dies depicting the design was lost in transit. To eliminate the risk of counterfeiting, an alternate design, featuring a loon, was used. This became known as the loonie.
Commemorative edition
In 2003, in special proof sets honouring the fiftieth anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the Voyageur design was struck again in sterling silver in a limited edition of 30,000.