Description

A very large number of varieties exist (HUNDREDS of them!), the vast majority of which relate to the size and location of the digits in the date. In the 61st Edition of the Charlton Standard Catalog of Canadian Coins, the varieties section covers 50 cent coins. They had to write 65 pages just to cover the years between 1941 and 1956.

For the 1953 production year, there were two obverse varieties (No Shoulder Fold and Shoulder Fold) and two reverse varieties (Small Date and Large Date). Because of die polishing, a variant exists in 1953 and 1954 coins where the shoulder strap cannot be easily seen.

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.