1 dollar 1982 - Constitution
By thecanadiannumismatist | Friday, 12 January 2024
In 1982, agreement was reached between Canada and Great Britain for the repatriation of the Dominion's Constitution. Elizabeth II formally presented the Constition to the Governement of Canada in Ottawa on April 17, 1982. It was signed by Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Minister of Justice, Jean Chrétien, and André Ouellet, the Registrar General.
Following substantial agreement on a new amending formula, the Parliament of Canada requested, in 1981, that the Parliament of the United Kingdom give up its power to amend the Constitution of Canada.
The Constitution Act of 1982 introduced several amendments to the British North America Act, 1867, including re-naming it the Constitution Act.
As a result of this historic event, 1982 production of the Voyageur nickel dollar was reduced and dies of a new design were put into the presses. The reverse featured a representation of Robert Harris' well-known painting of the Fathers of the Confederation gathered at the conference table in Quebec City in 1864.
That painting was destroyed in 1916 due to the fire, but the artist Rex Woods created a copy of it in 1968 to replace it, and made modifications, including the addition of three people on it.
Varieties
The new coin was produced in large quantities and made readily available to the public through chartered banks. An independent supplier helped the Royal Canadian Mint for the production, but because improper specifications, 4 main varieties exist:
- Thick planchet - ↑↑ (Medal alignement / Upright axis)
- Thick planchet - ↑↓ (Coinage alignement / Upset axis)
- Thin planchet - ↑↑ (Medal alignement / Upright axis)
- Thin planchet - ↑↑ (Coinage alignement / Upset axis)
Thin planchet strikes were usually weak. Several major errors were also found:
The Government of Quebec has never formally approved of the enactment of the act, though the Supreme Court concluded that Quebec's formal consent was never necessary. The Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords were designed to secure approval from Quebec, but both efforts failed to pass a resolution authorizing an amendment.
The patriation of the Canadian constitution set an example for similar actions by Australia and New Zealand. In 1985 and 1986, the Australian and British parliaments passed the Australia Act 1986. The Australian High Court subsequently recognized that the Act established Australia as an independent country, making Britain a foreign power.
New Zealand experienced a constitutional crisis in 1984, which led to a desire for constitutional reform. The New Zealand Parliament patriated its own constitution in the Constitution Act 1986. Unlike Canada, New Zealand already had the right to amend its own constitution, so there was no corresponding British legislation.
121,706 $100 commemorative gold coins were also sold for $290 in 1982. They are made of 91.67% gold and 8.33% silver and weight 16.965 g.
Specifications and features - Nickel dollar 1982
- Alloy: 100% nickel
- Weight: 15.62 g (thin planchet ~5 g)
- Diameter: 32.13 mm
- Thickness: 2.62 mm
- Engraver: Obverse: Arnold Machin, Reverse: Emanuel Hahn
- Designer: Obverse: Arnold Machin, Reverse: Emanuel Hahn
- Edge: Reeded
- Die axis: ↑↑, ↑↓
1 dollar 1982 - Price guide and values
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