Canada 1 dollar - George VI 1939

The coin's story

This dollar in 800 thousandths silver is Canada's second commemorative dollar, struck for the royal visit of 1939, during which King George VI and Queen Elizabeth travelled to Canada. The reverse, designed by the sculptor Emanuel Hahn, shows the Centre Block of the Parliament in Ottawa and the Peace Tower, with the Latin motto FIDE SVORVM REGNAT (He reigns by the faith of his people). Hahn's initials EH appeared on the model, but the government had them removed without consulting him, which provoked his protests. The King's portrait was engraved by Thomas Humphrey Paget, whose initials HP exist double- or triple-punched. The coin was struck at the Royal Canadian Mint in Ottawa in 1,363,816 pieces.