Canada 1 dollar - Elizabeth II 1979

The coin's story

This dollar in 500 thousandths silver, not intended for circulation, commemorates the tercentenary of the Griffon, the first large sailing ship on the Great Lakes. The explorer René-Robert Cavelier de La Salle had it built in 1679 on the Niagara River, armed with seven cannon, the ship crossed Lakes Erie, Huron and Michigan, then set off again on 18 September 1679 loaded with furs and disappeared without a trace. No wreck has ever been formally identified. The reverse was designed by Walter Schluep and engraved by Terrence Smith. The obverse bears the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II with a tiara, designed by Arnold Machin. The coin was struck at the Royal Canadian Mint in Ottawa.