Commems Collection Canadian: 1977 Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee - Governors General Medallions

In addition to the commemorative Silver Dollar it struck to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee (i.e., 25th Anniversary of her Accession to the Throne), the Royal Canadian Mint also struck commemorative medallions (silver and copper-nickel) in honor of the four Governors General who had served under QEII to that point: His Excellency, Right Honorable Jules Leger (1974-79); Right Honourable Roland Michener (1967-74), the late Right Honourable Georges Vanier (1959-67) and the late Right Honourable Vincent Massey (1952-59) (in reverse chronological order from current to QEII's first Governor General).

What does Canada's Governor General do?

From the Governor General of Canada web site:

"The governor general represents Canada in domestic and international ceremonies and events. Here in Canada, the governor general strengthens the country's ties with other nations by officially welcoming new ambassadors, as well as new high commissioners for which The King is not head of State. The governor general also plays host to foreign heads of State and members of the Royal Family during their visits to Canada, at Rideau Hall in Ottawa and the Citadelle of Québec. The governor general also signs diplomatic letters for outgoing Canadian ambassadors and high commissioners, who represent the country on the world stage.

"The governor general also plays an important role in international relations by travelling abroad on State and official visits. During State visits, the governor general is often accompanied by a delegation of prominent Canadians representing various areas of expertise. The goal in conducting international visits is to promote Canada, deepen people-to-people ties and strengthen Canada's relationships with international partners."


A ceremony was held within Canada's Parliament Buildings to present medals to each of the Governors General (or their representative) and to kick off the exhibition "Canada's Four Canadian Governors General." The Honourable Jean Pierre Goyer, Minister of Supply and Services (responsible for the Royal Canadian Mint) presided over the ceremonies.

As part of his opening remarks, Minister Goyer stated:

"It is also fitting on this happy occasion [the Silver Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth] to strike a medallion that pays tribute to the four men who served as the Queen's representative in our country during the 25 years of her reign...All of these men had long and distinguished public careers before taking on the office, and it is universally agreed that they were outstanding choices."

He continued,

"the common characteristic of their tenures was a dedication to, and profound understanding of the duties and obligations of that office. Each of these men travelled the length and breadth of our vast country and by their words and actions demonstrated to all Canadians the significant and important role the vice regal head of state can play in modern democracy"

(If you'd like to learn more about the Governors General honored on the medal (and others who have served), see the Governor General of Canada web site:

- Former Governors General

The obverse of the medals feature the Arnold Machin portrait of Queen Elizabeth II at the center with the inscriptions "GOD SAVE THE QUEEN / DIEU PROTECT LA REINE" encircling at he rim. Flanking the Queen's portrait are "25 Years / Ans" at left and Elizabeth II's Royal Cypher at right.

The medal's reverse features four small portraits - one of each honored Governor General - with the inscriptions "GOVERNORS GENERAL" at the rim at left and "GOUVERNEURS GENERAUX" at the rim at right. "CANADA" is above the portraits, "1952-1977" is found below. The names of the Governors General, and the years of their service, are seen between the portraits with a maple leaf at center.

The Silver Medal was struck on a 0.925 fine silver (sterling) planchet with a Proof finish. The Copper-Nickel version (75% Cu/25% Ni) was struck as a satiny/matte Brilliant Uncirculated piece. Each of the medals is 45 millimeters in diameter and has a plain edge. The silver version has a weight of 48.6 grams; the CuNi version has a weight of 42 grams.

The Silver Medal had an issue price of $17.00 (CAD); the CuNi medal was issued at $3.00. I have not been able to locate mintage figures for the two medals other than "Limited" for the Silver Medal and "Unlimited" for the CuNi Medal. As would be expected, the Silver Medal is less frequently encountered in the marketplace (vs. the CuNi version); the two-piece set with original insert is also infrequently encountered. I would suggest a mintage in the range of 10-20K for the Silver Medal and 25K-50K for the CuNi Medal. (If anyone has documented numbers for the mintages of the medals, please post below!)

1977 Four Governors General Medal - Copper-Nickel Version


1977 Four Governors General Medal - Insert Card / Two-Piece Set - Front


1977 Four Governors General Medal - Insert Card / Two-Piece Set - Back


1977 Four Governors General Medal - Two-Piece Set in Case




For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more stories about Canadian topics, see: Commems Collection.