Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 10 Cents 1968, KM# 73, Canada, Elizabeth II
  • 10 Cents 1968, KM# 73, Canada, Elizabeth II
  • 10 Cents 1968, KM# 73, Canada, Elizabeth II, 1968 Varieties: Ottawa Mint (up) vs Philadelphia Mint (bottom)
Description

Due to a lack of time, the Royal Canadian Mint made arrangements with the United States Mint at Philadelphia to strike many of the nickel 10-cent pieces for 1968. The Ottawa and Philadelphia strikings differ only in the number of reeds on the edge and shape of the slots between them.

• Ottawa Mint (Royal Canadian Mint): V-shaped grooves, reeded edge
• Philadelphia Mint: flat-bottomed grooves, serrated edge

Reeding is formed on a coin at the moment of striking when the dies squeeze the planchet and force it against the reeding pattern on the collar. The different styles of reeding likely didn’t matter to the RCM if it was considered at all, since it was probably easier for Philadelphia to just use their own dime collars. As a result, the coins have the exact same diameter as a U.S. dime, 17.91 mm.

Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 1926–2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and of 14 other Commonwealth realms. Her reign of 70 years and seven months, which began on 6 February 1952, was the longest of any British monarch in history.

When her father died in February 1952, Elizabeth—then 25 years old—became queen regnant of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (Sri Lanka), as well as Head of the Commonwealth. Elizabeth reigned as a constitutional monarch through major political changes such as the Troubles in Northern Ireland, devolution in the United Kingdom, the decolonisation of Africa, and the United Kingdom's accession to the European Communities and withdrawal from the European Union. The number of her realms varied over time as territories have gained independence and some realms have become republics.

Times of personal significance have included the births and marriages of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, her coronation in 1953 and the celebrations of her Silver, Golden, Diamond, and Platinum jubilees in 1977, 2002, 2012, and 2022, respectively.

Obverse

Second crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara.

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara was a wedding present in 1947 from her grandmother, Queen Mary, who received it as a gift from the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland in 1893 on the occasion of her marriage to the Duke of York, later George V. Made by E. Wolfe & Co., it was purchased from Garrard & Co. by a committee organised by Lady Eve Greville. In 1914, Mary adapted the tiara to take 13 diamonds in place of the large oriental pearls surmounting the tiara. At first, Elizabeth wore the tiara without its base and pearls but the base was reattached in 1969. The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara is one of Elizabeth's most recognisable pieces of jewellery due to its widespread use on British banknotes and coinage.

ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA means Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen.

Engraver: Arnold Machin

ELIZABETH II D·G·REGINA

Reverse

Depicts the Bluenose under sail, a Canadian schooner from Nova Scotia, a celebrated racing ship and a symbol of the province, is surrounded by the facial value and the country name.

The artist used three ships including the Bluenose as his models, so the ship design is actually a composite.

Engraver: Emanuel Otto Hahn

CANADA
1968
H
10 CENTS

Edge

U-shaped grooves

10 Cents

2nd portrait, Philadelphia
KM# 73 Schön# 61b.1
Characteristics
Material Nickel
Weight 2.07 g
Diameter 18.034 mm
Thickness 1.16 mm
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Philadelphia Mint (no mintmark)

Related coins

Silver, 2.32 g, ⌀ 18.034 mm

Silver, 2.324 g, ⌀ 18.034 mm
Without DEI GRATIA

Silver, 2.324 g, ⌀ 18.034 mm