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
April 18, 2018
New Acquisitions
By: Paul S. Berry
To distinguish the new production from that of 1936, a small impression was added to the reverse dies, creating a raised dot on coins struck from those tools.
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March 14, 2018
The Bank-NOTEable Woman is Here!
By: Graham Iddon
Even if you’re not familiar with Viola Desmond’s story, it will likely become clear that the theme of this note is human rights and social justice.
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February 27, 2018
Rediscovering the NCC’s treasure trove
By: David Bergeron
Canadian waters have also claimed their fair share of treasure ships.
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January 30, 2018
Before the Erebus
By: Graham Iddon
Now you might wonder just how a museum specializing in economics and currency expects to interpret the history of a legendary arctic explorer—through money, of course.
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January 3, 2018
Decoding E-Money Is Here
By: Graham Iddon
Now that we are again back in our house, we’ve invited one of our wandering exhibitions home for a visit: Decoding E-Money.
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November 23, 2017
The Bank of Canada Museum Goes International
By: Ken Ross
Every year the conference of the International Federation of Finance Museums (IFFM) draws museum directors from five continents to a get-together aimed at sharing best-practices and keeping up with the latest trends in the world of financial museums. This year was the Bank’s first opportunity to attend the conference with a museum in fully-operational mode.
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October 23, 2017
A Curator’s Favourite Task
By: David Bergeron
I have several key responsibilities to meet the requirements of my job. None of them is more gratifying than conducting research about the incredible artifacts in the Bank’s collection.
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September 12, 2017
How’re We Doing So Far?
By: Graham Iddon
It’s all good, and we couldn’t be happier with our first few weeks of business.
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July 11, 2017
Our Grand Opening…
By: Graham Iddon
After four years of plans, worries, setbacks, successes and sheer hard work, the Bank of Canada Museum opened its doors—on Canada Day, right on schedule.
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June 22, 2017
Museum Reconstruction - Part 8
By: Graham Iddon
The last few stragglers among our artifacts are ready for installation and the interactives and digital labels are bulking up with the final software and data, in them, so it’s all there, functional and looking fantastic.
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