Canadian Coins 5 Cents 1948 King George VI

Canadian Coins 5 Cents, King George VICanadian Coins 5 Cents, Beaver

Canadian Coins 5 Cents 1948 King George VI
Canadian Five Cent Coin

Obverse: The portrait in left profile of George VI is surrounded with the inscription "GEORGIVS VI DEI GRATIA REX" (George VI, King by the grace of God).
Lettering: GEORGIVS VI DEI GRATIA REX.
Engraver: Thomas Humphrey Paget .

Reverse: A beaver, over the inscription "CANADA", is surrounded with the facial value, flanked on both sides by a maple leaf.
Lettering: 5 CENTS CANADA 1948.
Engraver: George Edward Kruger Gray.
Edge: Smooth.

Years: 1948-1950.
Composition: 5 Cents.
Metal:  99.9% Nickel.
Weight: 4.54 g.
Diameter: 21.234 mm.
Thickness: 1.7 mm.
Shape: Dodecagonal.
Mintages: 1948 - 1,810,789.

The beaver has a long history in Canada as both commodity and cultural icon. The Hurons honoured the beaver hundreds of years ago as the totem of their tribe. Native peoples used the beaver emblem to sign treaties with the first colonists. Since then the beaver has appeared in the heraldic bearings of Québec City and Montreal and even marked Canada's first postage stamp. The beaver coin design was created by Canadian artist G.E. Kruger Gray and was first used in 1937.


Canadian Coins - King George VI