Hover to zoom.
The Royal Canadian Mint has released their popular and traditional annual silver dollar for 2022, which pays homage to the innovation of one of the world’s best-known inventors who perfected and patented the telephone and many other ground-breaking inventions. The year 2022 marks both the 175th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) and the centenary anniversary of his death.
From an early age, Bell learned from his father that problems are challenges meant to be solved. He held on to this conviction throughout his 75 years, working to improve the lives of those in need of attention. Bell’s insight helped navigate an impending modern world by breaking down barriers, literally bringing the world closer together, and spearheading the practice of embracing the realms of both science and nature.
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1847, he was the son of Alexander Melville Bell, a leading authority in speech therapy, and the young Bell was trained to take over the family business. While still a teenager, he became a voice teacher and began to experiment with sound. In 1870, his family relocated to Ontario, Canada, where Bell accepted a teaching position in 1871. Afterwards, Bell divided his time between Boston and the family homestead in Brantford, Ontario, where he had a workshop for his sound experiments. He was in Brantford when he conceived the idea for his “electric telephone” that would later revolutionise communications.
History tells us that the first successful demonstration of the telephone was actually accidental and just three days after being awarded a U.S. patent for his invention. On the 10th March 1876, and in his home in Boston, Bell spilt some acid on his leg and called out for his assistant Thomas Watson to come and help him. Watson heard Bell’s voice through the telephone instrument that they were working on.
In May that year, Bell publicly demonstrated his working invention before the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Boston, and again in June at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. On the 10th August 1876, Bell made the world’s first long-distance telephone call, albeit one-way, over a distance of about six miles, between his home in Brantford and a second location in Paris, Ontario.
The fine silver Proof-quality dollar features a reverse design by Canadian artist Armand Nina, whose design features a clever word-art portrait of inventor Alexander Graham Bell which is composed of various words that represent different aspects of his life, accomplishments, and legacy. An experimental model of Bell’s most famous contribution to science and technology, the telephone, appears to the left of the inventor while a facsimile of Bell’s signature appears near the rim. The text 2022 DOLLAR is placed just above the telephone and the word CANADA is shown just under the primary design along the edge.
The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.
| Denom. |
Metal |
Weight | Diameter | Quality |
Maximum Mintage |
| Dollar |
.999 Silver |
23.1 g | 36 mm | Proof |
50,000 |
| Dollar |
.999 Silver |
23.1 g | 36 mm | Proof with gold plating |
In sets |
Each coin is encapsulated and presented in a custom Royal Canadian Mint-branded case accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. The gold-highlighted versions are included as part of the silver Proof-quality annual coin sets. For additional information, please visit the Royal Canadian Mint’s website.
❑
Leave a Reply