canada coin design

Design in Canadian Coins

"The most interesting event of the year was the issue of the silver dollar commemorative of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the succession of his late majesty, King George V, the first time in Canadian history a coin of this denomination was issued, and also the first issue in Canada of a coin to mark a particular event." -The 1935 Mint Report

The above image is from a colourized photo of 1948 Dollar.
This design was introduced in 1935 and appeared on the $1.00 coin until 1988.

The new design was the first used on a Canadian coin in the latest style of the day, introduce on the coins of Ireland in 1928. This was breaking from the tradition of the same designs being similar on all denominations in the colonies. The design was by Emanuel Hahn, whom at the time was a well known sculptor from Toronto.

The voyager depicted is a fur trader of the Hudson Bay Company along with an aboriginal.
The Northern Lights can be seen in the background.

This design was also intended for the loon $1.00 originally.
However, the master dies were lost in transit and the mint was forced to another design (The Loon).