Canadian Coin Collections

Question: Whats the meaning of the canadian coins?

(Posted by: Meek S on 2009-09-22 17:55:18)

At the back of each coin,there& #039;s a picture. what does it mean? for example,at the back of a nickel is a picture of a beaver. what& #039;s the meaning of it?

Posted by: Lisa W on 2009-09-22,18:04:05

The beaver has a long history in Canada as both commodity and cultural icon. The Hurons honoured the beaver hundreds of years ago as the totem of their tribe. Native peoples used the beaver emblem to sign treaties with the first colonists. Since then the beaver has appeared in the heraldic bearings of Québec City and Montreal and even marked Canada 's first postage stamp. The beaver coin design was created by Canadian artist G.E. Kruger Gray and was first used in 1937. The maple leaf is a proud and distinctive Canadian symbol, appearing on all Canadian coins minted between Confederation and 1935. The modern 1-cent coin features two maple leaves on the same twig. The design, created by G.E. Kruger Gray, was first used in 1937 and has remained unchanged with one exception: in 1967, a rock dove designed by renowned Canadian artist Alex Colville appeared on the reverse to celebrate Canada 's Centennial. Countess Grey struck the first 1-cent coin on January 2, 1908 at the official opening of the Ottawa branch of the Royal Mint (which became the Royal Canadian Mint in 1931). Artist Emanuel Hahn developed his design for the 10-cent coin from photos of the famous Bluenose schooner. It is meant to symbolize both the magnitude of the fishing industry in Canada and the maritime skills of Canadians. The Bluenose was not only a racing schooner, but also one of the great fishing vessels that helped build the reputation of the Grand Banks fishery. The design was first issued in 1937. The caribou on a 25-cent piece dates back to 1936 when a change in the sovereign 's image on circulation currency prompted the Canadian government to modify the designs on the reverse side of coins as well. The caribou design was created by Canadian artist Emanuel Hahn and was first used in 1937. It has been temporarily replaced through the years ? in 1967 for the Canadian centennial, in 1973 to celebrate the centennial of the North West Mounted Police, in 1992 for Canada 's 125th birthday, in 1999 and 2000 by the winning designs of the Millennium coin program, and in 2002 for a special Canada Day design. The 1-dollar circulation coin was introduced in 1987 as a cost-saving measure to replace dollar bills. The coin was instantly dubbed the ?loonie ' after the solitary loon that graces the coin 's reverse side. The nickname caught on and Canadians have been using it ever since. The loon design was created by noted wildlife artist Robert-Ralph Carmichael. The 2-dollar coin, or ?Toonie ', as Canadians have named it, features the image of an adult polar bear in early summer on an ice floe. It was designed by wildlife and landscape artist Brent Townsend. The 2-dollar coin was first introduced on February 19, 1996, to replace the 2-dollar bill. The ?Toonie ' has a life span approximately 20 times longer than paper currency and is manufactured using a distinctive bi-metallic coin locking mechanism patented by the Royal Canadian Mint.

Posted by: liberty 911 on 2009-09-22,18:06:39

Current Canadian coins have a reflection of the Canadian culture featuring the beloved animals from the Canadian landscape.

Posted by: picador on 2009-09-22,18:14:39

The "heads " side of our coins shows the King or Queen of England and therefor Canada. American coins have various Presidents because they were also heads of state. On the "tails " side we have symbols of Canadian life. The beaver has long been a symbol of Canada as is the maple leaf (pennies), the schooner "Bluenose " (dime) and the moose, (quarter.) Lately there has been a tendency to change the design of coins very frequently, and our native and Inuit culture has been heavily represented. Most recently of all, we have symbols of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.