8 effigies · 1908 to 2024
Canada has put the reigning monarch on its coins since the Ottawa mint opened, and has changed the portrait eight times. That makes the obverse a rough date stamp in its own right, which matters when the date itself has worn away.
| Portrait | Years | Span | Any silver in this period? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edward VII | 1902 to 1910 | 9 years | yes, see 1908 |
| George V | 1911 to 1936 | 26 years | yes, see 1911 |
| George VI | 1937 to 1952 | 16 years | yes, see 1937 |
| Elizabeth II | 1953 to 1964 | 12 years | yes, see 1953 |
| Elizabeth II | 1965 to 1989 | 25 years | yes, see 1965 |
| Elizabeth II | 1990 to 2002 | 13 years | no, silver had gone |
| Elizabeth II | 2003 to 2023 | 21 years | no, silver had gone |
| Charles III | 2023 to date | 2 years | no, silver had gone |
Two portraits of the same monarch can span quite different coinage. Elizabeth II appeared on Canadian coins for seventy years and across four separate effigies, and the silver ran out under the second of them.
1902 to 1910
Edward VII was His Majesty King Charles III’s great-great-grandfather. The Latin inscription appearing around him reads EDWARDVS VII DEI GRATIA REX IMPERATOR (or D:G REX IMPERATOR, depending on the denomination), both of which mean “Edward VII, by the grace of God, the King and Emperor. ”
1911 to 1936
George V was the great-grandfather of His Majesty King Charles III and appeared with the Latin inscription GEORGIVS V DEI GRA:REX ET IND:IMP, which means “George V, by the grace of God, the King and Emperor of India.” For part of 1911, coins did not include the DEI GRA part of the inscription and became known as the “Godless” coins.
1937 to 1952
His Majesty King Charles III’s grandfather appeared in effigy on Canadian coins until his daughter’s Coronation in 1952. Until 1947, the inscription accompanying his image read GEORGIVS VI D:G:REX ET IND:IMP or GEORGIVS VI DEI GRA REX ET IND:IMP (depending on the denomination). After India became independent in 1947, the ET IND:IMP, which meant “George VI, Emperor of India,” was discontinued.
1953 to 1964
The effigy of Queen Elizabeth II first appeared on Canadian coins in 1953 when she was 27 years old. The effigy pictured here was used until 1964, with the inscription ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA, meaning “Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, the Queen. ”
1965 to 1989
This updated effigy of Queen Elizabeth II appeared with the inscription ELIZABETH II D G REGINA, a shortened form of the original.
1990 to 2002
A new effigy of Queen Elizabeth II was unveiled in 1990 when she was 64 years old. This was the first to be designed by a Canadian, Dora de Pédery-Hunt, and the coin kept the ELIZABETH II D G REGINA inscription.
2003 to 2023
Canadian artist, Susanna Blunt, designed the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, again accompanied by the words ELIZABETH II D G REGINA. Blunt's version recalls the effigy of George VI, who also chose to be portrayed without a crown.
2023 to present
Another Canadian artist, Steven Rosati, designed the first effigy of His Majesty King Charles III accompanied by the words CHARLES III D G REX. His Majesty’s profile faces left, in keeping with the longstanding tradition of facing in the opposite direction to their immediate predecessor.
A coin worn smooth enough to lose its date usually still shows enough of the portrait to place it. A bearded king is Edward VII or George V and puts the coin before 1937, which is to say squarely in sterling or 80 per cent silver territory for the 10, 25 and 50 cent denominations. A clean-shaven king is George VI, 1937 to 1952, and still silver. A young Queen is 1953 to 1964 and still silver.
The portraits that mean no silver are the later Elizabeth II effigies from 1990 onward and the Charles III effigy. Between them sits the 1965 to 1989 portrait, which spans the change and settles nothing on its own.
This is a rough tool rather than a precise one, and where it matters the magnet and the scale give a real answer.