24 November 2022
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The 175th anniversary of the birth of Scottish inventor Alexander Graham Bell is commemorated on a new $1 circulating coin from The Royal Canadian Mint.
The famous inventor of the telephone, who transformed the world of communications and produced yet more groundbreaking innovations, spent much of his life in Canada.
Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance said:
“The story of Alexander Graham Bell is one of persistent scientific exploration and great personal achievement, but it is also a tremendous tale of Canadian innovation. From conceptualising the telephone in Brantford, Ontario, to pioneering new air and marine craft later in life from Baddeck, Nova Scotia, Canadians can take great pride in their connection to one of history’s greatest inventors.”
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The Alexander Graham Bell coin's design
The reverse of the commemorative circulation coin was designed by Canadian artist Christopher Gorey, and depicts Mr. Bell and two of the inventions he designed: the HD-4 Hydrofoil and the Silver Dart.
The coin also includes an engraving of Mr. Bell’s signature, as well as the inscription “175 YEARS/ANS” to recognise the anniversary of his birth. The observe features the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, designed by Susanna Blunt in 2003.
Marie Lemay, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint, said:
“As the inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell looms large in our history books, but that one famous achievement has tended to overshadow his whole body of work, from his youth in Brantford, Ontario to his return to Canada, where he spent decades in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, inspiring and working with many skilled and ingenious Canadians."
About Alexander Graham Bell
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1847, Bell settled with his family in Brantford, Ontario, where he developed a passion for problem-solving and science from his early years.
It was there that he built a workshop to conduct sound experiments, where the idea for an “electric telephone” first took shape. In 1871, he accepted a teaching position in Boston, dividing his time between his new home and the family homestead in Brantford.
To help Canadians from coast to coast to coast experience Alexander Graham Bell’s incredible story of innovation, the Mint has created a 3D virtual museum experience that can be explored at www.rcmintverse.ca.
How to buy the coin
The Alexander Graham Bell circulation coin is limited to a mintage of three million coins, of which two million feature a colour enhancement. It will reach Canadians through their change as bank branches and businesses replenish their inventories of one-dollar circulation coins.
The coin is available online at www.mint.ca/bell.