Canada 1 dollar - Elizabeth II 1981

The coin's story

This dollar in 500 thousandths silver, not intended for circulation, celebrates the centenary of the transcontinental railway, whose construction began in 1881. The reverse shows a steam train heading west across the map of Canada, a symbol of the line linking the provinces from one ocean to the other. It was designed by Christopher Gorey and engraved by Walter Ott. 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, in standard and proof quality.