Canadian twenty-cent coin facts for kids
| Canada | |
| Value | 0.20 CAD |
|---|---|
| Mass | 4.648 g |
| Diameter | 23.3 mm |
| Thickness | 1.2 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Orientation | Variable alignment |
| Composition | 92.5% Ag, 7.5% Cu |
| Years of minting | 1858 |
| Obverse | |
| Design | Queen Victoria |
| Designer | Leonard Charles Wyon |
| Reverse | |
| Design | Value and date, surrounded by wreath, topped by crown |
| Designer | Leonard Charles Wyon |
The twenty-cent piece was a special Canadian coin made in 1858. It was created by the Royal Mint for the Province of Canada, which was a part of Canada before it became a country. This coin was mostly made of silver (92.5%) and a little bit of copper (7.5%). In total, 730,392 of these coins were made.
Contents
Why Canada Made a 20-Cent Coin
Starting a New Money System
In 1854, the Province of Canada decided to switch to a new money system. This new system used "decimal currency," which means it was based on units of ten, just like our money today. They started making coins in amounts like 1 cent, 5 cents, 10 cents, and 20 cents. The new Canadian dollar was worth the same as the New Brunswick dollar, which had started a few years earlier.
A Coin for Everyone
At that time, different parts of Canada used different kinds of money. For example, Nova Scotia used something called the "Nova Scotian pound." The Province of Canada wanted to make it easier for people from Nova Scotia to use their new money. So, they decided to make a twenty-cent coin because it was worth the same as a "shilling" in Nova Scotian money.
Why the 20-Cent Coin Didn't Last
Even though it seemed like a good idea, the twenty-cent coin caused some confusion.
- Nova Scotia didn't actually make its own shilling coin.
- People sometimes mixed up the Canadian twenty-cent coin with British shillings, which were worth more.
- It also looked a bit like the American quarter (25 cents), which made things even more confusing.
Because of all this confusion, the twenty-cent coin was only made in 1858. After that, the Dominion of Canada (which was formed later) took these coins out of circulation. From 1885 onwards, many of them were sent back to the Royal Mint to be melted down and turned into 25-cent pieces instead.
