Canadian Silver Dollars: From the Voyageur to the Loonie

A canoe, a king, a totem pole, a goose and a loon. Canada's dollar coin has carried some of the best designs the country ever made. Here's the story, from the dollar that never was to the one in your pocket.

1911: The dollar that never was

Canada planned a silver dollar in 1911, but the government cancelled it before any were issued. Only three were struck at the Royal Mint in London: two in silver and one in lead. Collectors call the silver one "the Emperor of Canadian Coins." Today all three are at the Bank of Canada Museum.

1935: The Voyageur arrives

Canada's first circulating silver dollar marked the Silver Jubilee of King George V. On the back is Emanuel Hahn's Voyageur: a voyageur and an Indigenous guide paddling a canoe past an islet. The design ran for decades and it's still a collector favourite.

80% silver · 23.33 g · 36 mm · about 0.6 oz of silver · 428,707 made

1939: A king comes to visit

George VI dollars run from 1937 to 1952. In 1939 the voyageurs took a break for a commemorative: the Centre Block of Parliament, designed by Hahn, with the Latin legend FIDE SVORVM REGNAT ("he reigns by the faith of his people"). It marked the first visit to Canada by a reigning monarch. 1,363,816 were made.

1947–1948: The maple leaf and the king of key dates

After India became independent in 1947, "ET IND:IMP:" (Emperor of India) had to come off the coins. The new dies weren't ready, so in 1948 the Mint kept using the 1947 dies and added a tiny maple leaf next to the date (21,135 made). When the real 1948 dollars finally came out, only 18,780 were made. That makes 1948 the rarest date of the 1935–1967 silver dollars.

1949: Newfoundland joins the family

Newfoundland became Canada's tenth province on March 31, 1949. Thomas Shingles designed John Cabot's ship, the Matthew, under full sail with the motto FLOREAT TERRA NOVA ("may the new land flourish"). 672,218 were made.

1953: A new queen and a fixed shoulder

Elizabeth II's first dollars used Mary Gillick's laurel-wreath portrait. The first dies were cut in too-high relief and struck poorly, so the Queen's shoulder shows no strap or fold. The Mint lowered the relief to fix it. Collectors hunt both the "No Shoulder Fold" and "Shoulder Fold" versions.

Varieties to know: check the water to the right of the canoe. "Arnprior" dollars (named after a 1955 order sent to Arnprior, Ontario) show only partial water lines, and some 1952 dollars have none at all.

1958: The totem pole dollar

Stephan Trenka's totem pole marked the centennial of British Columbia, and 3,039,630 were made. It's one of the most striking designs of the silver era. Some collectors call it the "death dollar," because the raven at the top of the pole was reportedly read as a symbol of death. Treat that one as coin-club lore.

1964: The road to Confederation

Dinko Vodanovic's design marks 100 years since the Charlottetown and Quebec Conferences, with the rose, fleur-de-lis, shamrock and thistle of Canada's founding peoples. 7,296,832 were made for circulation.

1965: The Queen gets a tiara

Arnold Machin's more mature portrait arrived in 1965, three years before it showed up on UK coins. The 1965 dollar comes in five varieties (small or large beads, pointed or blunt 5), so check yours closely.

1967: The goose, the last silver dollar in your pocket

For Canada's 100th birthday, Alex Colville designed a Canada goose in flight. With 6,909,237 struck, it was the last Canadian dollar made in silver for everyday use.

1968: Nickel takes over and silver goes collector

From 1968 the everyday dollar was pure nickel and smaller, but the Voyageur kept paddling. Silver didn't disappear, though. From 1971 the Mint struck collector silver dollars each year for a new anniversary or event: 50% silver at first, then sterling from 1992. Those cased dollars are some of the most fun and affordable pieces in Canadian collecting.

1987: The Loonie (and the lost dies)

On June 30, 1987 the dollar coin replaced the $1 bill. It was supposed to carry the Voyageur again, but the master dies were shipped by regular courier from Ottawa to Winnipeg on November 3, 1986 and never seen again. So the Mint switched to Robert-Ralph Carmichael's loon, and Canada got the "Loonie."

Silver, nickel or loon?

Three dollars, three sizes. Once you've held all three, you'll never mix them up.

	Silver dollar	Nickel dollar	Loonie
Years	1935–1967	1968–1987	1987 on
Metal	80% silver	nickel	plated
Weight	23.33 g	15.62 g	—
Size	36 mm	32.13 mm	26.5 mm, 11 sides

Voyageurs, commemoratives and more: browse our Canadian silver dollars. Not sure if your coin is silver? Read Is My Canadian Coin Silver?