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50 Cents - Elizabeth II Ottawa Jail Hostel
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 2019 |
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| Composition | Nickel plated steel |
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| Obverse description | The obverse features the right-facing effigy of Queen Elizabeth II as portrayed at approximately 77 years of age, engraved by Susan Taylor. The Queen is depicted bare-headed, wearing a necklace and drop earrings, in a refined and mature portrait characteristic of the fourth definitive Canadian effigy. The surrounding legend reads ELIZABETH II D•G•REGINA, affirming her title by the grace of God, with the initials SB appearing in the field denoting the sculptor. |
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| Reverse description | The reverse features a two-image lenticular design by Emmanuel Julian Madail Monzon depicting a haunted scene set within the HI Ottawa Jail Hostel, one of Canada's most storied historic buildings. In the primary view, a visitor is shown entering a dimly lit former jail cell during an evening tour, with the iron bar door standing ajar. When the coin is tilted, the lenticular effect transitions to reveal the door closed and the spectral apparition of a former inmate materializing behind the startled visitor, gazing directly at the viewer. The ghost is believed to represent Patrick Whelan, hanged in 1869 for the assassination of Father of Confederation Thomas D'Arcy McGee in 1868. The bilingual legend surrounding the design reads CANADA JAIL ENTRANCE ENTREE DE LA PRISON, with the denomination 50 CENTS and date 2019 inscribed below. |
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| Additional information |
The Ottawa Jail Hostel occupies the former Carleton County Gaol, which operated as an active prison from 1862 until 1972 — one of the longest continuously operating jails in Canadian history. Nicholas Weeks, hanged there in 1869, was the last public execution in Ottawa. The building's Italianate exterior masked conditions that a 1945 royal commission described as among the worst in the country.
This piece belongs to the RCM's "Haunted Canada" series, which leaned into the growing market for paranormal tourism. The hostel has traded on its grim history since conversion in 1973.