Ten Facts About Canadian Coins Quiz

Answer: George V

The Voyageur Dollar was first minted in 1935 to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V (1910-1936). In 1936, a coin bearing the likeness of George V and with the same reverse design (two men paddling a canoe) was used on dollar coins released to general circulation. About 429,000 silver dollars were issued in 1935 and about 308,000 in 1936.

Answer: Newfoundland

Newfoundland issued coins in several denominations between 1865 and 1947. Coins were issued in the values of one cent, five cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 25 cents, and 50 cents. (The 25 cent coins were issued after the last issue of 20 cent coins.) An issue of gold two dollar coins occurred between 1865 and 1888. Newfoundland became part of Canada in 1949 and formally changed its name to Newfoundland and Labrador in 2001.

Nova Scotia issued half cent and one cent coins in 1861 and 1864 (before joining the Dominion of Canada in 1867). New Brunswick issued half cent, one cent, five cent, 10 cent, and 20 cent coins between 1861 and 1864 (before joining in 1867). Prince Edward Island issued one cent coins in 1871 (before joining in 1873).

Answer: Morse Code

The sentence is inscribed in Morse code on the reverse of the coin near the rim. The reverse design also features a flaming torch and a large Capital V that represents both the word victory and the Roman numeral for five. Thomas Shingles created the design for the coin.

The 1943 coins were made of a copper and zinc alloy known as tombac and the 1944-1945 coins were made of chrome-plated steel.

Answer: Twenty-five cents

One commemorative 25 cent coin was released each month of 1992 as part of the program with the mintage of each coin in the 10 to 15 million range. No coin commemorating Nunavut was issued in 1992 as that territory was created out of the Northwest Territories in 1997.

The program was very successful and is seen as an inspiration for the "State Quarters" circulating commemorative program (1999-2008) in the United States.

Answer: One Cent

The Province of Canada (roughly equivalent to southern Ontario and southern Quebec) issued coins in the denominations of 1 cent, 5 cents, 10 cents, and 20 cents in 1858. An additional issue of 1 cent coins was released in 1859. Because of the large number of cents issued in those two years (approximately 10 million), the first issue of 1 cent coins by the Dominion of Canada did not occur until 1876. By comparison, 5 cent, 10 cent, 25 cent (not 20 cent), and 50 cent coins were all issued in 1870.

Answer: It dropped from 92.5% to 80% silver.

Until 1919, Canada's coins could be considered sterling silver since they contained 92.5% silver (and 7.5% copper) - the same standard as British coins of the period. The new standard of 80% silver and 20% copper for these coins largely held until 1967-1968 when the alloy was again changed, first to 50% silver and 50% copper and then to cupro-nickel with no silver.

The main exception was the five cent coin which switched from silver and copper to a 99% nickel alloy in 1922.

Answer: The coin grew smaller.

From 1876 until partway through 1920, the Canadian cent weighed 5.67 grams, had a diameter of 25.4 millimeters, and was made from an alloy of 95.5% copper, 3% tin, and 1.5% zinc. While the alloy and shape (round) was the same at the end of 1920, the cent shrank to 19.05 millimeters and only weighed 3.24 grams. Production of Canadian one cent coins ended in 2012.

As an interesting side note, large cents were first issued in the Province of Canada in 1958, shortly after the United States made the switch from larger one cent coins to smaller one cent coins.

Answer: Polar Bear

The polar bear on the reverse is portrayed on an ice floe on the water. Brent Townsend designed the reverse of the toonie. Many commemorative reverses have also been used on 21st century toonies. Over 375 million toonies were minted in 1996.
The beaver is a long-time fixture on Canadian five cent coins. A lynx appeared on the commemorative twenty-five cent coin issued in 1967.
A moose appeared on many circulation issue Canadian twenty-five cent coins.

Answer: Five Cent Coin

Specifically, the 30 foot "nickel" is a replica of a 1951 five cent coin issued to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the discovery of nickel as an element. The replica is located on the grounds of the Dynamic Earth museum in Sudbury and was unveiled in 1964. Canada is one of the major world producers of nickel. Steve Trenka was the designer of the reverse of the "original" 1951 five cent coin and Bruno Cavallo led the team who created the "replica".

Answer: Fifty Cent Coins

Before 1937, Canadian fifty cent coins showed the denomination surrounded by a wreath. The fifty cent coins were often produced in smaller quantities than many other denominations. The largest number of fifty cent coins issued occurred in 1965 when about 12.6 million were issued. Thomas Shingles created the reverse featuring the coat of arms that first appeared in 1959.