Thomas Shingles
Encyclopedia
Thomas Shingles was the Master Engraver of the Royal Canadian Mint
from 1943 until his retirement in 1965; he first began work at the Mint in 1939. He was born in Birmingham
, England
.
Shingles was responsible for several of the images on Canadian coinage
, including the Second World War V-variant nickel
, which he designed in 1943 at the behest of Mint staff; although most coin designs are done at full size and then reduced via a pantograph
, Shingles chose to produce this design in miniature.
Other designs by Shingles include the 1959 updating of the 50 cent piece
to include the Canadian coat of arms; as with all of Shingles' work, the coin includes his initials "TS". He also designed the majority of Canadian commemorative coinage during his tenure as Master Engraver.
Shingles retired from the Mint in 1965, but continued to work as a freelance artist. In 1970, he entered a contest to design the 1971 Canadian dollar coin and took first prize, being awarded $3500.
Royal Canadian Mint
The Royal Canadian Mint produces all of Canada's circulation coins, and manufactures circulation coins on behalf of other nations. The Mint also designs and manufactures: precious and base metal collector coins; gold, silver, palladium, and platinum bullion coins; medals, as well as medallions and...
from 1943 until his retirement in 1965; he first began work at the Mint in 1939. He was born in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Shingles was responsible for several of the images on Canadian coinage
Canadian coinage
Canadian coinage is the coinage of Canada, produced by the Royal Canadian Mint and denominated in Canadian dollars or cents .-Denominations:There are seven denominations of Canadian coinage circulating: 1¢, 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, $1, and $2...
, including the Second World War V-variant nickel
Nickel (Canadian coin)
The Canadian five-cent coin, commonly called a nickel, is a coin worth five cents or one-twentieth of a Canadian dollar. It was patterned on the corresponding coin in the neighbouring United States...
, which he designed in 1943 at the behest of Mint staff; although most coin designs are done at full size and then reduced via a pantograph
Pantograph
A pantograph is a mechanical linkage connected in a special manner based on parallelograms so that the movement of one pen, in tracing an image, produces identical movements in a second pen...
, Shingles chose to produce this design in miniature.
Other designs by Shingles include the 1959 updating of the 50 cent piece
50 Cent Piece (Canadian coin)
The fifty-cent piece is the common name of the Canadian coin worth 50 cents. It is sometimes referred to as a "half dollar." The coin's reverse depicts the coat of arms of Canada. At the opening ceremonies for the Ottawa branch of the Royal Mint, held on January 2, 1908, Governor General Earl Grey...
to include the Canadian coat of arms; as with all of Shingles' work, the coin includes his initials "TS". He also designed the majority of Canadian commemorative coinage during his tenure as Master Engraver.
Shingles retired from the Mint in 1965, but continued to work as a freelance artist. In 1970, he entered a contest to design the 1971 Canadian dollar coin and took first prize, being awarded $3500.