Description

?We Win When We Work Willingly?

Canada, 1943. With the disastrous Dieppe Raid still fresh in their minds, Canadians began the year with tragic news from the Battle of the Atlantic and ended it with successes in Sicily. The end of the war was still two years away. But 1943 brought a hopeful shift that was fuelled in part by Canada?s effort on the home front, where our sacrifices and resolve were represented by a coded message on a new 5-cent coin: We Win When We Work Willingly.

Enhanced with special finishes, this bronze coin re-creates a historic design that is a favourite of collectors and historians. The reverse is a three-part tribute: to Canada?s nickel-less 1943 Victory nickel; to its creator, Thomas Shingles; and to the Canadians on the home front, where civilian contributions were crucial to the war effort and, ultimately, the Allied victory.

Canada?s five-cent Tombac coin

On the home front, select metals were in short supply for ?non-essential? use since they were key to the Allied war effort. This was especially true for nickel, a critical material in the production of weaponry and equipment such as armour plating. After introducing a 12-sided tombac (a bronze alloy) ?nickel? in 1942, the Royal Canadian Mint also began work on a new five-cent design to promote Canada?s war effort. Sir Winston Churchill?s famous ?V for Victory? sign inspired the final design, which included a coded patriotic message in place of denticles. But the master matrix had the added distinction of being the first one made entirely in Canada: it was hand-cut by the legendary Thomas Shingles, who became Chief Engraver of the Royal Canadian Mint that same year.

KEY FEATURES

Struck again: Canada?s famous Victory nickel is brought back to life on this modern tribute to the design and the artist.

A bronze take that covers two different variations. The use of a bronze alloy is a nostalgic nod to the tombac version of the Victory nickel (1943-44), while the reverse proof finish has a similar look to the steel version (1944-45).

As faithful to the original as possible. With the exception of a modern alloy, an updated bilingual coded message and a much larger size, this collectible piece of history is the culmination of our painstaking attempts to remain faithful to the original design introduced in 1943.

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Both sides of history. In keeping with the spirit of the original coin, our modern-day version features the same effigy of King George VI.
• An affordable large coin. Priced at $89.95, this is an affordable option for collectors of historic designs on large-sized (50 mm) coins.

DID YOU KNOW?

Tombac, a bronze alloy with a high copper content and zinc, was used for all Canadian five-cent coins issued in 1942 and 1943. The composition changed to chromium-plated steel in 1944. And in 1946, the beaver returned to Canada?s five-cent coin, which were once again made of nickel.

To avoid confusion with the cent, Canada?s nickel was re-designed in 1942 to feature 12 flat sides. It returned to a round shape in 1963.

The design was re-issued in 2005 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. It was also featured in our 2015 Legacy of the Canadian Nickel series.

DESIGN

The reverse re-creates the celebrated Victory design by Thomas Shingles that appeared on Canada?s five-cent coins between 1943 and 1945. A flaming torch represents the sacrifices made by Canadians at home and on the battlefields during the Second World War. Behind it, a big ?V? has dual meaning: it alludes to Sir Winston Churchill?s famous ?V for Victory? sign, and is also the Roman numeral that represents the denomination (5). On either side of the V are maple leaves, while traditional denticles are replaced by a bilingual version of the original message, ?WE WIN WHEN WE WORK WILLINGLY? LA BONNE VOLONT? EST GAGE DE VICTOIRE?, in Morse code. The obverse features the historical effigy of King George VI by T. H. Paget.