An Emanuel Hahn First World War memorial design in Lindsay, Ontario. (Wikimedia Commons, Richard BH, Hamilton, ON)
Emanuel Hahn was a celebrated Canadian sculptor whose work can be seen in the monuments of many Canadian cities. Born in Germany in 1881, Hahn immigrated to Canada with his family at the age of 7. Along with medals and a number of significant war memorials, Hahn designed some of Canada’s most distinctive and iconic coins. The voyageur silver dollar, the Bluenose dime, the caribou 25 cent piece and the 1939 silver dollar commemorating the Royal Visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth were all Hahn designs.
Pencil drawing by Emanuel Hahn sketching features proposed for the back of the 1935 silver dollar. 
(NCC 1963.059.015.004)
In 1934 the Department of Finance invited Emanuel Hahn to submit a design for a silver dollar commemorating the silver jubilee of the reign of King George V. Hahn corresponded with the Royal Mint in London and the Royal Canadian Mint to gain insight into the process of minting a coin before submitting a drawing depicting a voyageur and a First Nations man paddling a canoe. To ensure accuracy, Hahn studied the designs of traditional canoes and the paintings of Frances Anne Hopkins. Hahn’s design was approved with only a few minor changes and was used as the standard pattern for the Canadian silver dollar until the introduction of the ‘Loonie’ in 1987.
Pencil drawing by Emanuel Hahn showing studies of human figure and arm.
(NCC 1963.059.015.005)
Pencil drawing by Emanuel Hahn showing refined details of graphic elements for back of 1935 dollar.
(NCC 1963.059.015.006)
Following the success of the voyageur silver dollar, Hahn was among several artists invited to submit designs for new Canadian coinage to be released in conjunction with the accession of King George VI, in 1937. Hahn produced no less than 16 sketches. His caribou (proposed for both the nickel and the quarter) and his Bluenose were both selected for the new coins. All of the designs put into circulation in 1937 are still to be found on Canada’s circulating coinage today. Hahn left an impressive mark on Canadian currency and all Canadians can be proud to have a ‘Hahn original’ in their pockets.
Reverse of 1935 silver dollar designed by Emanuel Hahn. 
(NCC 1978.058.285b1)
Emanuel Hahn’s legacy of coins, drawings, plaster models and correspondence is preserved in the National Currency Collection of the Bank of Canada.
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The Museum Blog
August 5, 2015
Swindle! Canadian Phantom Banks
By: Graham Iddon
In exchange for pizza and a day out of the office, several Bank employees were persuaded to dress up in period costumes and re-enact three key moments from the history of this shady “bank”.
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July 21, 2015
Vignettes for a $1,000 bank note that never was
By: David Bergeron
In the mid 60s, high denomination notes were in such low circulation that Bank of Canada Governor Louis Rasminsky and the Minister of Finance discussed the possibility of actually dropping the denomination altogether.
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June 23, 2015
New Acquisitions
By: Paul S. Berry
The Canadian financial system of today is diverse… A little known but once prolific system member was loan and building societies. These firms made loans for the construction or purchase of property against mortgages as collateral.
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May 21, 2015
New Acquisitions
By: Raewyn Passmore
Everyone loves getting presents, and we’re no exception. We recently received a very exciting donation of 50 silver coins. The collection was purchased in Lima, Peru, at an estate sale in the 1950s.
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April 6, 2015
The Adventure of Exhibit Planning IX
By: Graham Iddon
Our little team from the Museum stood in the education space of the Sherbrooke Nature and Science Museum on a chill November morning while the exhibition technicians assembled our finished exhibition. Yes, finished.
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March 11, 2015
An Exhibition Installation
By: Graham Iddon
You could work in the exhibition-fabrication business all your life and still run into things you wouldn’t expect: a never-ending series of “uh-ohs.” It’s one of the things that makes the job so interesting and demands a high level of creative problem-solving skills…
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February 26, 2015
New Acquisitions
By: Raewyn Passmore
What do you think of when you think of money? Is it coins? Is it bank notes? Three-hundred years ago people weren’t sure bank notes were really money; it took a long time for them to get used to the idea.
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January 30, 2015
Royal Canadian Numismatic Association Convention
The show… is an ideal opportunity for the Bank of Canada Museum to share a part of the National Currency Collection with Canadians. This year, we decided to tell the story of Canada’s phantom banks and the financial crisis of 1837.
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January 22, 2015
The Adventure of Exhibit Planning VIII
By: Graham Iddon
On this trip, we were all excited to see the 8-foot-tall wooden panels with the full copy printed directly onto them. Using a new process, staff of the exhibition fabrication department at the Sherbrooke Nature and Science Museum have produced some very impressive results.
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January 14, 2015
The Adventure of Exhibit Planning VII
An exhibition fabrication company was finally selected by the Museum to produce the upcoming “Voices from the Engraver” travelling exhibition. It’s all very exciting.
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