2020-05-16 Sat

The government and treasury of Niue have issued collector coins that remember the first-ever royal tour of Canada, which occurred 80 years ago and set the standard for such future royal visits.

With the accession and coronation of HM King George VI in December 1936 and May 1937, respectively, increased interest in the royal couple by many Canadians resulted in an announced visit by their Majesties in 1939. The tour would be the first-ever of any reigning British monarch and would include multi-stopovers to every Canadian province at the time.

To mark the event in Canada, a special commemorative silver dollar was issued depicting the Parliament in Ottawa, which was only Canada’s second commemorative dollar coin, and is widely collected today. The obverse design features floral symbols of the United Kingdom: The rose (England), thistle (Scotland), leek (Wales), and Shamrock (Ireland), along with an effigy of HM Queen Elizabeth II created by British sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley.

The coin’s design is based on two elements of the royal visit: The shape of the coin is that of the four-pointed Royal Star, and includes dual effigies of the King and Queen originally designed by British engraver Percy Metcalf. Also included for this coin is the Canadian crest. The commemorative years 1939 and 2019 are seen on the outlines of maple leaves placed on each side of the portraits.

Image Courtesy: coinupdate.com