On January 2, 1908, Countess Alice Grey, wife of Canada's ninth Governor-General, Albert Henry George Grey, struck Canada's first domestically produced coin: a 1-cent piece. In 1911, the ascension of George V to England's throne necessitated a change in the sovereign effigy on the obverse of Canadian coinage. In 1920, The Royal Mint introduced a new design for the penny, created by Fred Lewis, featuring two maple leaves flanking the words “ONE CENT” beneath the word “CANADA” on the coin's reverse side. Seeking to modernize the appearance of Canadian coinage, the Royal Canadian Mint introduced G.E. Kruger-Gray's iconic maple leaf twig design, which remained the penny's reverse image every year (except 1967) until 2012. To celebrate Canada's centennial, famed Canadian artist Alex Colville created a special commemorative set of coin designs for 1967. In an effort to make it easier for the visually impaired to distinguish between coin denominations, the shape of the maple leaf twig penny was altered from perfectly round to 12-sided. The round design was reintroduced in 1997 and the penny remained round until its last year of production.
Celebrate the history of the penny with your beautiful 5-coin fine silver set that features original penny designs.
Design:
Each coin in your 5-coin set features a design from years past from different artists:
• Small leaves design originally by George W. DeSaulles.
• Small leaves design originally by W. H. J. Blakemore.
• Two maple leaves design originally by Fred Lewis.
• Centennial design originally by Alex Colville.
• Maple twig design by G.E. Kruger-Gray.
Specifications
Fine silver 1 cent (1908-1910) - Farewell to the Penny (2012)
- Composition: fine silver (99.99% pure)
- Finish: proof
- Weight (g): 2.94
- Diameter (mm): 19.1
- Edge: plain
- Artist: Georges W. DeSaulles (reverse), Georges W. DeSaulles (obverse)
Fine silver 1 cent (1911-1920) - Farewell to the Penny (2012)
- Composition: fine silver (99.99% pure)
- Finish: proof
- Weight (g): 2.94
- Diameter (mm): 19.1
- Edge: plain
- Artist: W.H.J. Blakemore (reverse), Sir E.B. MacKennal (obverse)
Fine silver 1 cent (1920-1936) - Farewell to the Penny (2012)
- Composition: fine silver (99.99% pure)
- Finish: proof
- Weight (g): 2.94
- Diameter (mm): 19.1
- Edge: plain
- Artist: Fred Lewis (reverse), Sir E.B. MacKennal (obverse)
Fine silver 1 cent (1967) - Farewell to the Penny (2012)
- Composition: fine silver (99.99% pure)
- Finish: proof
- Weight (g): 2.94
- Diameter (mm): 19.1
- Edge: plain
- Artist: Alex Colville (reverse), Arnold Machin (obverse)
Fine silver 1 cent (1937-1966 & 1968-2012) - Farewell to the Penny (2012)
- Composition: fine silver (99.99% pure)
- Finish: proof
- Weight (g): 2.94
- Diameter (mm): 19.1
- Edge: plain
- Artist: G.E. Kruger-Gray (reverse), Susanna Blunt (obverse)