Canadian 1-cent coin · Elizabeth II
1979 Canadian 1 cent (penny)
A 1979 Canadian 1-cent coin contains no silver.
Reported mintage, 1979
753,942,953The Mint records this coin as 98% copper, 1.75% tin, 0.25% zinc. There is no melt trade in it and no dealer prices it by weight.
What the Mint says it is made of
| Period | Composition | Weight | Silver | Diameter | Magnet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 - 1979 | 98% copper, 1.75% tin, 0.25% zinc | 3.24 g | none | 19.05 mm | not attracted |
How many were struck
Reported mintage, 1979
That is the 83rd lowest of the 105 years in which the Mint reports striking a 1-cent coin, in a range running from 1,000,622 to 1,261,883,000. Mintage is a count of coins made, not of coins that survive: the Mint has no way of knowing how many of these were later returned and melted, and for a silver denomination in the 1960s that number is large.
Portrait on the obverse
Elizabeth II
This updated effigy of Queen Elizabeth II appeared with the inscription ELIZABETH II D G REGINA, a shortened form of the original.
The design on the reverse
1937 - 1966, 1968 - 1981, 1997 - present
The maple leaf twig (round coin)
In 1937, as part of an effort to modernize Canada's coins, G.E. Kruger-Gray created the maple leaf twig design. His initials appear on the right.
The rest of your 1979 change
Nobody inherits one denomination. If there is a 1979 1-cent coin in the tin, these are the other coins carrying that date and whether they hold any silver.