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1 Dollar - Elizabeth II 2nd portrait, silver
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1972 |
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| Currency | Dollar (1858-date) |
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| Obverse description | Right-facing effigy of Queen Elizabeth II depicted at approximately 37 years of age, wearing a tiara and draped attire, as designed by Patrick Brinley. The sovereign's portrait is rendered in high relief with fine detail in the hair and facial features. The circular legend reads ELIZABETH II D·G·REGINA, invoking her title as Queen by the Grace of God. The inscription is positioned along the upper periphery of the coin in Latin script, with the field remaining unadorned around the bust. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse description | The reverse features the iconic Voyageur design, depicting two figures — a fur trader and a Native Canadian — paddling a heavily laden birchbark canoe across open water, with a loon perched on a rocky outcropping rising from the centre of the composition amid pine trees. The scene is rendered in fine detail with horizontal water lines in the field suggesting the river surface. The legend CANADA arcs along the upper periphery, while DOLLAR is inscribed along the lower periphery, with the date 1972 appearing in the exergue area between the two. The design was executed by T. Smith and reflects the classic Canadian wilderness aesthetic established for the silver dollar series. |
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| Additional information |
Canada's shift to .500 fine silver for the dollar in 1967 — down from the .800 fineness used through 1966 — was a direct response to rising silver spot prices that were pushing the intrinsic metal value of coins uncomfortably close to face value. The 1972 issue is among the last years the dollar was struck in silver at all; by 1968 the circulating dollar had already moved to nickel, making these .500 silver pieces collector-targeted from the outset rather than genuine circulation strikes.