Elizabeth II reign and portrait era
Elizabeth II One Dollar (1965–1989)
This page applies the requested 1965–1989 Elizabeth II browse lens to the reviewed one dollar design, technical-standard, and annual-production evidence.
Scope is limited to the verified type or program level. Issue mintages, prices, varieties, and survival estimates are not inferred from this summary.
One dollar reign and portrait eras
Know the boundary before the date
Begin with the recorded obverse (Elizabeth II effigy (Arnold Machin portrait)) and reverse (Voyageur and Indigenous guide paddling a canoe; commemorative reverses in selected years; Common loon on water; commemorative reverses in selected years). Then compare date, denomination, portrait, edge, diameter, weight, composition, and finish; a colour change or worn detail alone is not a reliable attribution.
- Primary identifiers — Reverse: Voyageur and Indigenous guide paddling a canoe; commemorative reverses in selected years; Common loon on water; commemorative reverses in selected years. Obverse: Elizabeth II effigy (Arnold Machin portrait).
- Authority and dates — Canada; recorded range 1965–1989.
- Evidence boundary — Unknown specifications remain unknown; unverified varieties, mintages, and prices stay outside the public catalog.
The historical scope of Elizabeth II One Dollar (1965–1989)
The cited sources place this category under Canada and within the chronology shown here. This era crosses the 1987 change from the large Voyageur dollar to the small loon dollar. Where a label crosses designs, authorities, metals, or portrait transitions, the page keeps those distinctions visible instead of merging them into one invented type.
The catalog places this record in the One dollar branch, records its material scope as 80% silver through 1967; nickel from 1968; bronze-plated nickel through 2011; multi-ply brass-plated steel from 2012, and records its finish as circulation. Those fields are supported by the sources listed below; missing issue-level transitions are not filled by inference.
- 1967 · Centennial goose — Alex Colville's goose replaced the Voyageur.
- 1968 · Nickel large dollar — Nickel replaced silver for the large circulation format.
- 1987 · Loonie introduced — The compact eleven-sided coin replaced the one-dollar note.
Design and identification
Begin with the recorded obverse (Elizabeth II effigy (Arnold Machin portrait)) and reverse (Voyageur and Indigenous guide paddling a canoe; commemorative reverses in selected years; Common loon on water; commemorative reverses in selected years). Then compare date, denomination, portrait, edge, diameter, weight, composition, and finish; a colour change or worn detail alone is not a reliable attribution.
- Voyageur Dollar · 1935–1986 · Emanuel Hahn — Voyageur and Indigenous guide paddling a canoe; commemorative reverses in selected years. Large Voyageur dollar lineage.
- Loon Dollar (Loonie) · 1987–present · Robert-Ralph Carmichael — Common loon on water; commemorative reverses in selected years. Eleven-sided Loonie lineage.
Finish by checking the edge (reeded; eleven-sided outline), composition (80% silver through 1967; nickel from 1968; bronze-plated nickel through 2011; multi-ply brass-plated steel from 2012), and any recorded dimensions or weight; colour or wear alone is not enough for attribution.
Official annual production
Annual rows are denomination totals filtered to this requested era. They may combine portraits, commemorative reverses, or parallel formats and are not presented as portrait-only production. This era crosses the 1987 change from the large Voyageur dollar to the small loon dollar.
Displayed-row sum: 623,447,513 · 25 official annual rows
Three anchors that do not depend on price
- 1965–1989 — The verified range assigned to Elizabeth II One Dollar (1965–1989) in this catalog.
- Voyageur and Indigenous guide paddling a canoe; commemorative reverses in selected years; Common loon on water; commemorative reverses in selected years — The principal reverse is the first type-level attribution check.
- 80% silver through 1967; nickel from 1968; bronze-plated nickel through 2011; multi-ply brass-plated steel from 2012 — Compare it with the reeded; eleven-sided outline edge and any recorded measurements.
Specifications within this type
1935 – 1967 · Round
- Composition
- 80% silver, 20% copper
- Weight
- 23.3 g
- Diameter
- 36.06 mm
- Thickness
- 2.84 mm
1968 – 1982 · Round
- Composition
- 99.9% nickel
- Weight
- 15.62 g
- Diameter
- 32.13 mm
- Thickness
- 2.62 mm
1982 – 1986 · Round
- Composition
- 99% nickel (minimum)
- Weight
- 15.62 g
- Diameter
- 32.13 mm
- Thickness
- 2.55 mm
1987 · 11-sided
- Composition
- 91.5% nickel, 8.5% bronze plating
- Weight
- 7 g
- Diameter
- 26.72 mm
- Thickness
- 1.95 mm
1988 – 2002 · 11-sided
- Composition
- 91.5% nickel, 8.5% bronze plating
- Weight
- 7 g
- Diameter
- 26.5 mm
- Thickness
- 1.75 mm
Official annual production catalog
Annual rows are denomination totals filtered to this requested era. They may combine portraits, commemorative reverses, or parallel formats and are not presented as portrait-only production. This era crosses the 1987 change from the large Voyageur dollar to the small loon dollar.
| Year | Design context | Technical standard | Mintage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Large Voyageur dollar lineage | 36.06 mm · 23.3 g | 10,768,569 |
| 1966 | Large Voyageur dollar lineage | 36.06 mm · 23.3 g | 9,912,178 |
| 1967 | Centennial Canada goose | 36.06 mm · 23.3 g | 6,767,496 |
| 1968 | Large Voyageur dollar lineage | 32.13 mm · 15.62 g | 5,579,714 |
| 1969 | Large Voyageur dollar lineage | 32.13 mm · 15.62 g | 4,809,313 |
| 1970 | Manitoba centennial | 32.13 mm · 15.62 g | 4,140,058 |
| 1971 | British Columbia centennial | 32.13 mm · 15.62 g | 4,260,781 |
| 1972 | Large Voyageur dollar lineage | 32.13 mm · 15.62 g | 2,193,000 |
| 1973 | Prince Edward Island centennial | 32.13 mm · 15.62 g | 3,196,452 |
| 1974 | Winnipeg centennial | 32.13 mm · 15.62 g | 2,799,363 |
| 1975 | Large Voyageur dollar lineage | 32.13 mm · 15.62 g | 3,256,000 |
| 1976 | Large Voyageur dollar lineage | 32.13 mm · 15.62 g | 2,101,000 |
| 1977 | Large Voyageur dollar lineage | 32.13 mm · 15.62 g | 1,393,745 |
| 1978 | Large Voyageur dollar lineage | 32.13 mm · 15.62 g | 2,948,488 |
| 1979 | Large Voyageur dollar lineage | 32.13 mm · 15.62 g | 1,884,789 |
| 1980 | Large Voyageur dollar lineage | 32.13 mm · 15.62 g | 2,544,000 |
| 1981 | Large Voyageur dollar lineage | 32.13 mm · 15.62 g | 2,778,900 |
| 1982 | Constitution commemorative | 32.13 mm · 15.62 g | 13,356,398 |
| 1983 | Large Voyageur dollar lineage | 32.13 mm · 15.62 g | 2,267,525 |
| 1984 | Jacques Cartier commemorative | 32.13 mm · 15.62 g | 1,223,486 |
| 1985 | Large Voyageur dollar lineage | 32.13 mm · 15.62 g | 3,104,592 |
| 1986 | Large Voyageur dollar lineage | 32.13 mm · 15.62 g | 3,089,225 |
| 1987 | Eleven-sided Loonie lineage | 26.72 mm · 7 g | 205,405,000 |
| 1988 | Eleven-sided Loonie lineage | 26.5 mm · 7 g | 138,893,539 |
| 1989 | Eleven-sided Loonie lineage | 26.5 mm · 7 g | 184,773,902 |
Collecting paths and checklist
Use the page first as a type or era checklist, then verify each dated issue independently before extending the set. Cleaned surfaces, plated-metal disturbance, patterns, special finishes, and commemorative reverses require separate treatment; catalog context is not an appraisal or investment promise.
- One-coin type study — Choose one representative that clearly shows the principal obverse and reverse, then learn the type boundary.
- Design and technical generations — Add a generation only when sources confirm a change in composition, shape, size, edge, or principal design.
- Source-backed date study — Expand into dates or varieties only after issue identity, specifications, and production evidence are verified field by field.
Collector checklist
- Do not clean the coin; cleaning changes surfaces and can obscure evidence.
- Compare date, portrait, design, edge, weight, diameter, and metal response together.
- Have consequential or high-value attributions reviewed by an appropriate specialist or certification service.
- Catalog information is research context, not an appraisal, offer, or investment guarantee.
Data scope
This page publishes reviewed denomination- and major-type-level evidence. Years not published by the Mint remain unknown, zero appears only when the source reports zero, and prices or survivor estimates are not inferred from production.
Sources
- 1 dollarRoyal Canadian Mint
Large-dollar and Loonie design and technical chronology.
- A Tale of Two Designs: How Canada's 1-dollar Coin Became the LoonieRoyal Canadian Mint
The 1935 silver dollar, planned Voyageur dies, and the 1987 Loonie transition.
- Faces of the MonarchRoyal Canadian Mint
Canadian coin obverse portrait chronology through Charles III.