What Were Canadian Cents Made Of In 1981 & 1999

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Author	Replies: 11 / Views: 2,309
Fox Pillar of the Community 708 Posts	Posted 01/26/2014 12:22 am I have been keeping every Canadian one cent coin I receieve in change ever since the Royal Canadian Mint stopped producing them. I was just wondering, I know that I read that, up to 1996 Canada made their pennies out of copper, unlike the U.S., where the solid copper cents were stopped in 1982, but I have a 1981 and a 1999 Canadian penny that both feel like different weights than most of my other Canadian cents I have put away that are in between those dates or older than 1981, which is why I was wondering about the 1981 cent. Weren't Canadian pennies copper plated zinc for a while after 1996? and when did Canada start making their pennies out of solid copper? Edited by Fox 01/26/2014 12:24 am Report this Post to the Staff

DBM Pillar of the Community Canada 9864 Posts	Posted 01/26/2014 12:59 am 1981 is 2.8 grams of .98 copper 1999 is copper plated zinc "Dipping" is not considered cleaning... -from PCGS website Report this Post to the Staff
ASLAN TVorlon Pillar of the Community United States 1234 Posts	Posted 01/26/2014 01:01 am The one cent coin....... Large pennies Victoria 1876 - 1901 Composition: .95 copper, .04 tin, .01 zinc. Edward VII 1902 - 1910 Composition: .95 copper, .04 tin, .01 zinc. George V 1911 - 1920 Composition: 1911 to 1919, .95 copper, .04 tin, .01 zinc. Composition: 1919 to 1920, .955 copper, .030 tin, .015 zinc. Small pennies George V 1920 - 1936 Composition: .955 copper, .030 tin, .015 zinc. George VI 1937 - 1952 Composition: 1937 to 1942, .955 copper, .030 tin, .015 zinc. 1942 to 1952, .980 copper, .005 tin, .015 zinc. Elizabeth II 1953 - Date Composition: 1953 to 1996, .980 copper, .005 tin, .015 zinc. 1997 to 2003, copper plated zinc. 1999 to 2003, .940 steel, .045 copper, .015 nickel 2003 to 2012, Multi-ply plated steel. If you are still wondering about the weight try a jewellery store or a coin shop, a better bet than a shady type in a coffee shop at 3 AM, they all have scales but try the store first Edited by ASLAN TVorlon 01/26/2014 01:03 am Report this Post to the Staff
DBM Pillar of the Community Canada 9864 Posts	Posted 01/26/2014 01:09 am ASLAN_TVorlon, sounds like you're quoting Charlton's or Krause. Other sources, including the mint, differ on the composition of the large cents. "Dipping" is not considered cleaning... -from PCGS website Report this Post to the Staff
ASLAN TVorlon Pillar of the Community United States 1234 Posts	Posted 01/26/2014 01:50 am "Crusty Metal Detecting" actually, I just use it for a reference of cut off dates Report this Post to the Staff
Fox Pillar of the Community 708 Posts	Posted 01/26/2014 02:01 am Quote: 1997 to 2003, copper plated zinc. 1999 to 2003, .940 steel, .045 copper, .015 nickel So, are you saying that in 1999-2003 they made BOTH copper plated zinc, AND copper plated steel (or something like that) simultaneously? Because I have a 1999 Canadian cent that does NOT stick to a magnet. Report this Post to the Staff
ASLAN TVorlon Pillar of the Community United States 1234 Posts	Posted 01/26/2014 03:26 am Yep they tried zinc for a while along with the steel ones too. Report this Post to the Staff
Nathancrh1 Pillar of the Community Canada 785 Posts	Posted 01/26/2014 09:26 am Actually, all the way up to 2012 they were making some in steel and some in zinc. Report this Post to the Staff
uchihadesendent Valued Member Canada 129 Posts	Posted 01/26/2014 09:29 am because it was costing too much money to mint them with that much copper in them Report this Post to the Staff
punman Pillar of the Community Canada 849 Posts	Posted 01/26/2014 11:57 pm Quote: because it was costing too much money to mint them with that much copper in them Yes - it was costing the Mint a mint (bad pun from the Punman) Report this Post to the Staff
lyradnoj Pillar of the Community Canada 548 Posts	Posted 01/27/2014 12:19 am Fox, look to see if your 1999 cent has a small P on the obverse below the queen. If it has that then it is a steel-cored plated test coin. If there isn't a P it's a regular zinc cent. The 1999P are rare and consequently fetch a nice premium. Report this Post to the Staff
bibd Pillar of the Community Canada 838 Posts	Posted 01/27/2014 01:32 am By the way, I believe 1981 (and 1980) had a slightly reduced weight when compared with pre-1979 small cents. This may explain your curiosity on the weight. Most years 2002 to 2012 had both zinc and steel cores used in circulation production. The coinsandcanada site has a good list of varieties. This makes it a fun series IMHO, despite some people feeling it's just modern junk. Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 11 / Views: 2,309

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