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The coins of Canada are produced by the Royal Canadian Mint and denominated in Canadian dollars ($) and the subunit of dollars, cents (¢). An effigy of the reigning monarch always appears on the obverse of all coins. There are standard images which appear on the reverse, but there are also commemorative and numismatic issues with different images on the reverse.

Circulation denominations

There are six denominations of Canadian circulation coinage in production: 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, $1, and $2. Officially they are each named according to their value (e.g. "10-cent piece"), but in practice only the 50-cent piece is known by that name. The three smallest coins are known by the traditional names "nickel" (5¢), "dime" (10¢), and "quarter" (25¢), and the one-dollar and two-dollar coins are called the "loonie" (for the loon depiction on the reverse) and the "toonie" (a portmanteau of "two" and "loonie") respectively. The production of the Canadian 1-cent piece (known as the "penny") was discontinued in 2012, as inflation had reduced its value significantly below the cost of production.

Canadian coins have medallic orientation, like British or euro coins, and unlike U.S. coins, which have coin orientation.

Canadian coins

Value	Image		Technical parameters				Description			English name	French name	First minted	Discontinued	Withdrawn
	Obverse	Reverse	Diameter	Thickness	Mass	Composition	Edge	Obverse	Reverse
1¢			19.05 mm	1.45 mm	2.35 g	94% steel 1.5% nickel 4.5% copper plating	Plain (1920–1981, 1997–2012) 12-sided (1982–1996)	Queen Elizabeth II	Maple leaf	Penny	Sou/cent/cenne Cent noire Cenne noire	1953	May 2012	February 4, 2013 In limited use
5¢			21.2 mm	1.76 mm	3.95 g	94.5% steel 3.5% copper 2% nickel plating	Plain (1922–1942, 1963–present) 12-sided (1942–1962)	Queen Elizabeth II	Beaver	Nickel	Cinq sous Cinq cents Cinq cennes	1953	Still produced	Still in use
10¢			18.03 mm	1.22 mm	1.75 g	92% steel 5.5% copper 2.5% nickel plating	Milled		The Bluenose	Dime	Dix sous Dix cents Dix cennes	1953
25¢			23.88 mm	1.58 mm	4.4 g	94% steel 3.8% copper 2.2% nickel plating			Caribou	Quarter	Vingt-cinq sous Vingt-cinq cents Vingt-cinq cennes Trente sous Trente cents Trente cennes	1953
50¢			27.13 mm	1.95 mm	6.9 g	93.15% steel 4.75% copper 2.1% nickel plating			Canadian coat of arms	50¢ piece, half-dollar	Cinquante sous Cinquante cents Cinquante cennes	1959	Produced but uncirculated since 2004.[citation needed] Only sold by mint for $1/coin.[citation needed]
								King Charles III				2023
$1			32.15 mm	2.88 mm	15.62 g	99.9% nickel		Queen Elizabeth II	Voyageurs in a canoe	Voyageur dollar "Silver" dollar		1953	1987	Replaced by the loonie in 1987. Obsolete but still legal tender. In limited use.[citation needed]
$1			26.5 mm	1.95 mm	7 g	91.5% nickel 8.5% bronze plating (88% copper, 12% tin)	Plain, 11-sided	Queen Elizabeth II	Common loon	Loonie	Piastre Piasse Huard	1987	2011	Still in use
					6.27 g	Brass-plated steel			Common loon with security feature			2012	2023
								King Charles III				2023	Still produced
$2			28 mm	1.8 mm	7.3 g	Ring: 99% nickel Centre: 92% copper 6% aluminium 2% nickel	Intermittent milled / smooth	Queen Elizabeth II	Polar bear	Toonie	Deux piastre Deux piasse	1996	2011	Still in use
					6.92 g	Ring: Nickel-plated steel Centre: Aluminum bronze	Intermittent milled / smooth / edge-lettered		Polar bear with 2 security features			2012	Still produced
These images are to scale at 2.5 pixels per millimetre. For table standards, see the coin specification table.

The 50¢ piece is far less circulated than other Canadian coins. Between the years 2000 and 2007 the Royal Canadian Mint struck less than 16 million of them; in comparison, during the same period over 2.25 billion quarters were released. This coin is sometimes called a "half-dollar".

Other than the $2 coin (for which there is no United States analog), the denominations of Canadian coinage correspond to those of United States coinage. The sizes of the coins other than the 50¢ piece are roughly equal to those of current U.S. coins, though this was not always the case. They have a different metallic composition and most of them are thinner, and thus weigh slightly less, than the analogous U.S. coins. The U.S. penny settled on its current size in 1857, whereas the Canadian penny was much larger (25.4 mm (1.00 in)) until 1920. Because they are easily mistaken for each other, U.S. and Canadian coins worth 5 cents, 10 cents and 25 cents sometimes circulate in the other country. Due to the usually higher value of the U.S. dollar, it is common in Canada to accept U.S. coins at par or face value.^[1] Canadian coins are not commonly accepted in the U.S. but are more often in states that see many Canadian visitors.^[2] Their differing physical characteristics prevent them from being accepted interchangeably by most coin-operated machines.

There was formerly some correspondence between the size of Canadian coins and British coins of similar value. For example, the large Canadian penny was identical in size and value to the contemporary British half-penny, which was 25.4 mm (1.00 in) in the Edward VII version, and slightly larger during Victoria's reign. Likewise, the Canadian quarter (23.81 mm diameter) was virtually identical in size and value to the British shilling – worth 12 British pence or about 24 Canadian cents, with a 24-millimetre (15⁄16 in) diameter. The Canadian 5¢ coins, until the larger nickel coins of 1922, were 15 mm silver coins quite different from the U.S. "Liberty head" nickels of 1883 to 1913, which were 21.2 mm and copper-nickel alloy, but more like the older U.S. half dimes.

Developments in coinage

The most significant recent developments in Canadian coinage were the introduction of $1 and $2 coins and the withdrawal of the one cent piece. The $1 coin (the "loonie") was released in 1987. The $1 banknote remained in issue and in circulation alongside the one-dollar coin for the next two years, until it was withdrawn in 1989. The coin was to be the voyageur-design silver (then nickel) dollar coins that had previously been in limited circulation. The dies were lost or stolen in November 1986, requiring a redesign.^{[citation needed]} The new coin is colloquially called the "loonie", for the common loon on its reverse, and the name is frequently applied to the currency unit as well. It is made of nickel plated with aureate bronze. The $2 coin, carrying a polar bear, was introduced in 1996. It is usually called the "toonie" and is bimetallic. The $2 banknote was withdrawn at the same time that the coin was released. Unlike several U.S. attempts to introduce a dollar coin, the new coins were quickly accepted by the public, owing largely to the fact that the Bank of Canada and the government forced the switch by removing the $1 and $2 bills from circulation.

Between 1997 and 2001, the $1 loon coin was not issued for general circulation. Due to the high demand for the $2 polar bear coin (mintages between 1997 and 2001 were as high as 29 million in 2000 alone), the $1 coin was only produced for the standard collector sets that were made available on an annual basis, such as the Uncirculated, O Canada, Specimen and Proof sets.

On March 29, 2012, the Canadian government announced that the 1¢ coin would be retired.^[3] The Royal Canadian Mint stopped producing 1¢ coins in May 2012, and in February 2013 the Bank of Canada stopped distributing them, but the coins remain legal tender. Cash transactions are rounded to the nearest 5¢, while non-cash transactions (using cheques, credit cards, or debit cards) will continue to be rounded to the nearest 1¢.

Production

Canadian coins are issued by the Royal Canadian Mint and struck at their facilities in Winnipeg. All special wording on commemorative coins appears in both of Canada's languages, English and French. All of the standard wording on the reverse sides of non-commemorative coins is identical in both languages. On the obverse sides, the name and title of the Canadian Monarch appear in an abbreviated-Latin circumscription. On coins struck since November 2023, this reads "Charles III D. G. Rex", but coins reading "Elizabeth II D. G. Regina" continue to circulate. The initials stand for "Dei gratia"; the entire phrases mean "Charles III, by the grace of God, King" and "Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen".

The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics commemorative quarters do not have the inscription "D.G. Regina", and they read "Canada Elizabeth II", along with the date of issue and Ilanaaq, the emblem of the games.

History

Coins of the Colonies

Beginning in 1858, various colonies of British North America started issuing their own coins denominated in cents, featuring the likeness of Queen Victoria on the obverse. These replaced the sterling coins previously in circulation. The Province of Canada was the first to issue decimal coins. They were based on the value of the American dollar, due to an influx of American silver.^[4] Denominations issued were 1¢, 5¢, 10¢, and 20¢. The 1¢ coin was issued again in 1859, but it was very unpopular due to its extremely light weight. The coins had to be discounted by around 20% to get them into circulation. Other colonies that issued decimal coinage were New Brunswick and Nova Scotia both starting in 1861, Newfoundland in 1865, and Prince Edward Island in 1871. Many examples can be seen online via the Canadian Currency Museum.^[5]

Queen Victoria coinage

In 1867, the British parliament passed The British North America Act, 1867 (now known as the Constitution Act, 1867), uniting the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick into a single country. Coins of the three former colonies continued to circulate until 1870, with all being legal tender throughout the country.^[6] As other colonies subsequently entered confederation, they dropped their colonial coinage and adopted the national Canadian currency.

In 1870, the first national coinage of the Dominion of Canada was issued in denominations of 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, and 50¢. A 1¢ coin was not issued until 1876.^[6] The designs were standardized with the head of Queen Victoria on the obverse, value and date with a crowned maple wreath reverse, except for the 1¢ coin, which had on its reverse a maple vine circlet.^[6]

King Edward VII coinage

In 1902, the first coins of King Edward VII's coinage were issued. The 1902 5¢ coin is of interest to collectors, as its design includes the outmoded St. Edward's Crown instead of the Imperial State Crown. These coins were hoarded upon being issued, as the public believed that an error had been made. In 1903, the design of the 5¢ was modified accordingly.

In 1907, Heaton's Mint struck its last issue of Canadian coins—the 1907H 1¢, which is quite scarce. In 1908, the Royal Canadian Mint at Ottawa was opened. At that time the Ottawa mint was known as the Royal Mint, Ottawa branch. The name "Royal Canadian Mint" was first used in 1931.

The reverse design on the 10¢ coins include several varieties in relation to the leaves.

King George V coinage

Edward VII died in 1910 and was succeeded by his son, King George V. His effigy appeared on all coins minted in Canada afterwards, as soon as new dies were obtained.^[7]: 25

The initial issue of George V coinage is known as the "Godless" coinage, because the abbreviation "DEI GRA", (for "DEI GRATIA" or " by the grace of God"), was omitted from King George V's titles. When the public noticed this, there was a huge outcry at this breach of tradition, and the phrase was later restored. All the coins from the 1¢ to 50¢ were issued. The 50¢ is the scarcest of all the coins minted in 1911 with a mintage of 209,972.^[8] The Canadian Coin News publication printed an article showing a well-worn 1911 50¢ example that did have the "DEI GRA" abbreviation.^[9] This coin has not yet been certified as genuine, having been rejected by ICCS, the popular Canadian grading company. The 1911 pattern dollar coin was produced with the 'DEI GRA' abbreviation on the two known silver examples and the one known example in lead.

In 1920, the fineness of the silver coins was changed from .925 fine silver to .800 fine silver, and the size of the cent was reduced.^[6] In 1921, the last silver 5¢ coins were struck. These are extremely rare, numbering less than 400. These were replaced in 1922 by a larger nickel coin, copying an earlier change in the United States, and building on the fact that Canada was the world's leading source of nickel ore.^[7]: 38

There are a few scarce dates, especially the 1925 and the 1926. There are two types of the 1926: the "near 6" type, which has the tail of the 6 lower down and near to the maple leaf, and the rarer "far 6" type. The 1921 50¢ is also an extremely rare coin. It is the rarest of the King George V series.

The first Canadian silver $1 coin was issued as a commemorative coin in 1935 to commemorate King George V's Silver Jubilee. The portrait of the King on this coin was the same as that of the coins of several other countries. This coin also bears the famous coureur des bois design, which was designed by Emmanuel Hahn. This coin, and others issued since with this reverse design, have the affectionate nickname of "voyageur dollars".

1936 dot coinage

King George V died on January 20, 1936, and was succeeded by King Edward VIII. Because his abdication occurred before production of any Canadian coinage with his likeness could commence, no Canadian coins bear his image.

In 1937, there was a pressing demand for 1¢, 10¢, and 25¢ coins, but, as the Royal Canadian Mint was waiting for new tools and matrices to arrive from the Royal Mint, the decision was made to strike coins dated 1936, but a dot would be added in the area near the date to indicate that the coins were struck in 1937. The 1¢ and 10¢ coins with the dot are exceedingly rare; so rare, in fact, that only four or five specimens are known.^[10] In 2004, a "Dot cent", as they are sometimes called, sold at auction for $207,000. The one cent coin was sold again in the Canadiana sale for $400,000 while an example of the ten cent piece with the dot sold for $184,000.^[11] The 25¢ coin, while not as rare as the one-cent and ten-cent pieces, is still a very difficult coin to find.

Gold circulation coins

Gold coins for circulation were issued from 1912 to 1914 only (earlier rejected "for fear of committing a breach of the Royal Prerogative"),^[6] in $5 and $10 denominations,^[12] though sovereigns, to British standards, were issued in small quantities for some years. The minting of gold coins for circulation ceased due to the onset of the First World War, when the government of Canada recovered the majority of circulating gold coins to finance the war.^[13] Reissue plans were dropped in 1928.^[12] According to the Mint, a large quantity of the 1912–1914 gold coins were stored by the Bank of Canada for over 75 years.^[13] In 2012, the Mint offered 30,000 coins from the collection for sale to the public through its retail channels and stated that it would melt and refine the remainder of the 245,000 coins to sell the gold content.^[13]

King George VI coinage

In late 1937, the tools and matrices finally arrived from London, so the issue of the new coins of the reign of King George VI was struck immediately. The coins' current designs date from this period. The coins were as follows:

• 1¢: A twig with two maple leaves (Designer: George Kruger-Gray)
• 5¢: A beaver sitting on a rock and log (Designer: George Kruger-Gray)
• 10¢: The famous Nova Scotian racing schooner Bluenose (Designer: Emmanuel Hahn)
• 25¢: A caribou's head (Designer: Emmanuel Hahn)
Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=Coins_of_the_Canadian_dollar
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