Penny (Canadian coin)
Coin worth one cent / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In Canada, a penny (minted 1858–2012) is an out-of-production coin worth one cent, or 1⁄100 of a dollar. According to the Royal Canadian Mint, the official term for the coin is the one-cent piece, but in practice the terms penny and cent predominate. Penny was likely readily adopted because the previous coinage in Canada (up to 1858) was the British monetary system, where Canada used British pounds, shillings, and pence as coinage alongside U.S. decimal coins and Spanish milled dollars.
Canada | |
Value | 0.01 CAD |
---|---|
Mass | 2.35 g |
Diameter | 19.05 mm |
Thickness | 1.45 mm |
Edge | Smooth |
Composition | |
Years of minting | 1858–2012 |
Catalog number | CC 20 |
Obverse | |
Design | Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada |
Designer | Susanna Blunt |
Design date | 2003 |
Design discontinued | 2013 |
Reverse | |
Design | Maple leaf branch |
Designer | G.E. Kruger Gray |
Design date | 1937 |
Design discontinued | 2013 |
In Canadian French, the penny is often known by the loanword cent; in contrast with the heteronymous word meaning "hundred" (French: [sɑ̃] ⓘ), this keeps the English pronunciation [sɛnt] ⓘ. Slang terms include cenne, cenne noire, or sou noir (black penny), although common Quebec French usage is sou.
Production of the penny ceased in May 2012,[1] and the Royal Canadian Mint ceased distribution of them as of February 4, 2013.[2] However, the coin remains legal tender.[3] Nevertheless, once distribution of the coin ceased, vendors were no longer expected to return pennies as change for cash purchases and were encouraged to round purchases to the nearest five cents.[4] Goods can still be priced in one-cent increments, with non-cash transactions like credit cards being paid to the exact cent.[5]