Commems Collection Canadian: 2022 Alexander Graham Bell Silver Dollar

The Royal Canadian Mint marked the 175th Anniversary of the Birth of Alexander Graham Bell in 2022 with a combination of Circulation coins and Collector coins.

Alexander Graham Bell - Circa 1876

(Image Credit: US Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Public Domain.)

Alexander Graham Bell, the famous inventor, was born in Scotland on March 3, 1847, he traveled to Canada with his parents in 1870 (in the hope of avoiding a tuberculosis-related death as had felled his two brothers). He moved to the United States (Boston, Massachusetts) in April 1871 for a job at the Boston School for Deaf Mutes (his father taught the deaf - with a specialization in speech via his "Visible Speech" method - and inspired Alexander's interests in the area).

While he spent significant time living in Canada (primarily during his later years), he also spent significant time in the United States ("US"); he became a US citizen in 1882.

He had residences/labs in Branford, Ontario, Baddeck, Nova Scotia, Boston, Massachusetts and Washington, DC.

Bell's most noteworthy inventions include:

- The Telephone (circa 1875-76)
Bell received a US patent for his "Improvement in Telegraphy" on March 7, 1876; it paved the way for the telephone. Bell formed the Bell Telephone Company in Boston, Massachusetts on July 9, 1877.

- The Audiometer (circa 1879-80)
A diagnostic medical device that measures a person's ability to hear across different frequencies and volume levels; it can determine a person's hearing threshold (the point at which a person is just able to hear an audio stimulus) and degree of hearing loss.

- The Graphophone (circa 1886)
An improved wax cylinder-based version of the phonograph which enabled higher-quality recordings.

- The Aileron (circa 1908)
A movable flap on the outboard section of a wing that is used to bank an aircraft (i.e., side-to-side tilting or roll) and cause its flight path to curve.

Note: These are not all of Bell's inventions, just a few highlights.

Bell's transition back to spending significant time in Canada began in 1885. Eventually, he spent most of his time there (vs. his official residence in Washington, DC). In Canada, he stayed primarily at what was originally his summer residence in Nova Scotia. He spent most of his time in Canada until his death in 1922. During this later period of his life, Bell spent significant time focusing on aviation (see Aileron above).

For circulation, the Mint issued three million three-ply brass-plated steel $1 coins - one million plain, two million colour enhanced.

For collectors, the Mint issued a Silver Dollar ("SD") in three versions, plus a $100 Gold coin.

The Bell SD has a diameter of 36.07 millimeters, weighs 23.17 grams, is 0.999 fine silver, has a serrated/reeded edge and was struck as a Proof coin; it was also available with selective gold-plating as part of the 2022 Fine Silver Proof Set. The SD had a maximum mintage of 50,000; the Proof Set had a maximum mintage of 20,000. A third SD option came available later in the year via the 2022 Special Edition Proof Set, it had a mintage limit of 30,000. (Confirmed final sales totals/mintages are still TBD.)

The obverse of the SD features the right-facing portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.

The reverse depicts Bell, facing left, but rather than a standard relief portrait (as used for the Special Edition SD), Bell is depicted using Word Art such as "INVENT", "TELEPHONE" and "LABORATORY"(among many other words that describe the man and his work. The selectively gold-plated SD in the Fine Silver Proof Set uses the same style. For the record, I am not a fan of the artistic style - it nearly kept me from buying one of the coins.

Also seen on the commemorative reverse (to the left of Bell's portrait) is one of Bell's experimental telephones (circa 1876) and a facsimile of his signature near the rim between the 9
o'clock and Noon positions.

2022 Alexander Graham Bell 175th Anniversary of Birth Silver Dollar


The individual Proof coin was issued at $69.95 (CAD), the Fine Silver Proof Set was issued at $234.95.95 (CAD) and the Special Edition Proof Set was issued at $119.95 (CAD).


For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including other Canadian numismatics stories, see: Commems Collection