During the Queen Elizabeth II ("QEII") years of Canada's Non-Circulating Legal Tender ("NCLT") commemorative Silver Dollars (1971-2023), the Royal Canadian Mint occasionally issued coins with the portrait of a previous monarch vs. the reigning QEII. For example, in 2010, to mark the 75th Anniversary of Canada's first commemorative Silver Dollar, the Mint issued a near-replica of the 1935 coin that featured a portrait of King George V:
2010 75th Anniversary of Canada's First Commemorative Silver Dollar
(I wrote about the 2010 SD here:
2010 75th Anniversary Of Canada's First SD.)
In 2026, the third year of King Charles III coins in Canada, the Royal Canadian Mint issued a Silver Dollar to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the birth of Queen Elizabeth II. It features a portrait of QEII.
The future QEII was born in London, England on April 21, 1926; she was a Princess at birth, and was named Elizabeth Alexandra Mary. Her father was Prince Albert, Duke of York (the future King George VI); her mother was Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, Duchess of York (the future Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother). Elizabeth was the first child of the Duke and Duchess.
She became the next-in-line to the throne when King Edward VIII, her uncle, abdicated. This made her father King - he adopted the name King George VI.
She acceded to the throne upon the death of her father on February 6, 1952. Her coronation as Queen was held at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953.
Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle on September 8, 2022; she was 96 years old. Her reign, the longest in British Monarchy history, lasted more than 70 years.
The obverse design of the coin presents the right-facing portrait of QEII by Susanna Blunt. The commemorative reverse presents a render of QEII's Diamond Maple Leaf Brooch at its center, with the anniversary's dual-dates "1926-2026" above it and "CANADA DOLLAR" below it. Above the dates is found the Royal Cypher of QE II. Around the edge of the design is a filigree that forms 13 maple leaves, one for each of Canada's current Provinces and Territories.
The Special Edition SD has a maximum mintage of 17,500. It was struck as a standard Proof on the current standard SD planchet: 36.07 mm in diameter, a weight of 23.17 grams and a composition of 0.9999 pure silver.
As of the date of this post, the coin was still available for purchase on the Mint's web site for $219.95 (CAD).
2026 Special Edition Silver Dollar - Centennial of Queen Elizabeth II's Birth
For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including other Canadian numismatics stories, see:
Commems Collection
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