Canadian 1-cent coin · Elizabeth II
1997 Canadian 1 cent (penny)
A 1997 Canadian 1-cent coin contains no silver.
Reported mintage, 1997
549,868,000The Mint records this coin as 98.4% zinc, 1.6% copper plating. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 - 1999 | 98.4% zinc, 1.6% copper plating | 2.25 g | none | 19.05 mm | not attracted |
How many were struck
Reported mintage, 1997
That is the 74th 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
A new effigy of Queen Elizabeth II was unveiled in 1990 when she was 64 years old. This was the first to be designed by a Canadian, Dora de Pédery-Hunt, and the coin kept the ELIZABETH II D G REGINA inscription.
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 1997 change
Nobody inherits one denomination. If there is a 1997 1-cent coin in the tin, these are the other coins carrying that date and whether they hold any silver.
| Denomination | Composition in 1997 | Silver | Mintage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 cents nickel | 75% copper, 25% nickel | none | 27,354,000 |
| 10 cents dime | 99.9% nickel | none | 43,126,000 |
| 25 cents quarter | 99.9% nickel | none | 0 |
| 50 cents half dollar | 99% nickel (minimum) | none | 387,000 |
| 1 dollar | 91.5% nickel, 8.5% bronze plating | none | 0 |
| 2 dollars toonie | outer ring 99% nickel, inner core 92% copper, 6% aluminum, 2% nickel | none | 16,942,000 |