1947 Maple Leaf facts for kids
The 1947 Maple Leaf refers to special Canadian coins that have the year "1947" on them but were actually made in 1948. You can spot these unique coins because they have a tiny maple leaf symbol right after the date. This little leaf tells a cool story about how these coins came to be!
Contents
Why the Maple Leaf?
Before 1948, Canadian coins had a specific message around the picture of King George VI. This message said "GEORGIVS VI D:G:REX ET IND:IMP," which meant "George VI By the Grace of God, King and Emperor of India."
India's Independence and Coin Changes
In 1947, India became independent from the United Kingdom. This meant the King was no longer "Emperor of India." So, the message on Canadian coins had to change for 1948. The part "ET IND:IMP" needed to be removed.
Waiting for New Designs
The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) in Canada needed new tools to make coins with the updated message. These tools, called matrices and punches, were sent from the Royal Mint in London, England.
But there was a delay! The new tools didn't arrive in Canada right away. Meanwhile, people still needed new coins for everyday use.
The Clever Solution
To solve this problem, the Royal Canadian Mint came up with a clever idea. They used the old 1947 coin-making tools. But to show that these coins were actually made in 1948, they added a small maple leaf symbol next to the "1947" date.
This way, everyone knew these coins were special. Once the new tools arrived from London, the RCM started making the regular 1948 coins with the correct, updated message.
