Step back in time to an era of exploration and adventure with this affordable $5 fine silver coin marking the 350th anniversary of the Hudson’s Bay Company.  Incorporated in 1670, HBC is Canada’s oldest company. Partnerships with First Nations, Inuit and Métis led to its success during the fur trade era. And as Canada began to take shape, HBC evolved along with it: its commercial pursuits were a crucial part of Canada’s earliest industries and development; its trading posts became Canada’s cities and towns; and its fur-trading empire evolved into the modern retail giant of today. HST/GST exempt.

The Design:

The reverse was inspired by the Voyageur dollar introduced in 1935 and designed by Emanuel Hahn. The engraved image features six explorers paddling a canoe in rough waters after exchanging goods at the Hudson’s Bay Company trading post, which appears behind the pine trees in the distance. The reverse also includes the word “CANADA” near the curved rim, while the face value “5 DOLLARS” and the year “2020” are inscribed below. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.

Did you know?

Signed by King Charles II on May 2, 1670, the Royal Charter is preserved at HBC’s corporate headquarters in Toronto. It granted exclusive trading rights to “the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England trading into Hudson Bay.” Until 1970, the Royal Charter included a clause requiring HBC to pay the British Crown a periodic rent of “two Elks and two Black beavers.” The Rent Ceremony has only occurred four times since 1670: in 1927, 1939, 1959 and 1970.

If you look closely at a Voyageur dollar, you’ll spot the initials “HBC” on one of the bundles tucked inside the canoe.