Nickel (Canadian coin)

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Nickel (Canada)
Value:	0.05 CAD
Mass:	3.95 g
Diameter:	21.2 mm
Thickness:	1.76 mm
Edge:	smooth
Composition:	94.5% steel, 3.5% Cu, 2% Ni
Years of Minting:	1922–present
Catalog Number:	-
Obverse

Design:	Queen Elizabeth II, Canada's Queen
Designer:	Susanna Blunt
Design Date:	2003
Reverse

Design:	beaver sitting on a log
Designer:	G.E. Kruger Gray
Design Date:	1937

A Canadian nickel is a coin worth five cents, patterned on the corresponding coin in the neighbouring United States, and introduced in Canada in 1922. Prior to that year, Canadian five-cent pieces were small silver coins, colloquially known as "fish scales" due to their having been very thin.

1 History
2 History of Composition [1]
3 Special editions
4 1921
5 References
6 See also

[edit] History

Unlike the U.S. coin of the same name, Canadian nickels were actually struck in 100% nickel originally (their American counterparts being 75% copper and only 25% nickel). This changed in 1942, due to the need to use all available nickel for military purposes due to World War II; in that year the composition became a brass alloy usually referred to as "tombac". The shape of the coin was concomitantly changed from round to dodecagonal, or 12-sided, most likely in an effort to make it easily distinguishable from the copper 1-cent coins; but a shortage of copper forced another change in the composition, so in 1944 the alloy was changed to chromium-plated steel, which gave the coins a distinct "blue" tinge. Nickel was reinstated in 1946 (the 12-sided shape was retained until 1963, when the coins again became round).

In 1948 the dies were delayed coming from the Royal Mint in London, England and some coins of all denominations bearing the 1947 date were struck in 1948 with a maple leaf to denote the wrong year.

In 1951, a special commemorative five-cent piece was struck to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the metal's initial discovery; but in a scenario that caused considerable embarrassment to the Canadian government, production of the coin had to be halted before the year even ended as the result of yet another war-driven nickel shortage, this one brought about by the Korean War. The chromium-plated steel alloy (which was magnetic) was then pressed into service again, this time through 1954. The coins reverted to nickel again the following year.

In 1982 the composition was changed to the same as that of the American five-cent piece—cupronickel (75% copper and 25% nickel)—and in 2000 it was changed again, to nickel-plated steel.

[edit] History of Composition [1]

Years	Weight	Diameter/Shape	Composition
2000–present	3.95 g	21.2 mm, round	94.5% steel, 3.5% copper, 2% nickel plating
1982–1999	4.6 g	21.2 mm, round	75% copper, 25% nickel
1963–1981	4.54 g	21.2 mm, round	99.9% nickel
1955–1962	4.54 g	21.2 mm, 12-sided	99.9% nickel
1951–1954	4.54 g	21.2 mm, 12-sided	chrome-plated steel
1946–1950	4.54 g	21.2 mm, 12-sided	99.9% nickel
1944–1945	4.54 g	21.2 mm, 12-sided	chrome-plated steel
1942–1943	4.54 g	21.2 mm, 12-sided	88% copper, 12% zinc ("tombac")
1922–1942	4.54 g	21.2 mm, round	99.9% nickel
1920–1921	1.167 g	15.494 mm, round	80% silver, 20% copper
1858–1919	1.167 g	15.494 mm, round	92.5% silver, 7.5% copper

[edit] Special editions

1943-1945: Victory Reverse, V also indicating the denomination in roman numerals. A morse code pattern was also used instead of rim denticles spelling out "WE WIN WHEN WE WORK WILLINGLY".
1951: 200th anniversary of the isolation and naming of the element nickel; reverse depicted a nickel refinery.
1967: Canadian centennial, all coins had unique reverses, the 5 cent coin had a rabbit.
2005: Victory Anniversary Coin

[edit] 1921

Five-cent coins dated 1921 are among the rarest and most collectible Canadian circulation coins, with approximately 400 specimens known. In May of 1921 the government of Canada passed an act authorizing the change to the larger nickel coin, and subsequently the majority of the 1921 mint run was melted down.^[1]