On Sun, 15 Jun 2008 01:18:36 +0100, wrote:


"Mark Brader" wrote in message
.. .
Same thing happened in the United States -- it is next to impossible
to find any coins from before 1964, because they had all previously
contained silver.

For the sake of precision: that's dimes and higher coins, from
before 1965.
Actually, for some reason they continued to make half-dollars
containing silver (only 40% instead of 90% as before) for another
6 years, and I've seen it claimed that this was a factor in the
almost total disappearance of the coin from circulation about then.
--

What is/was the situation with Canadian coins?

Picking first on the 1c [from www.mint.ca]:-
"Today's one-cent coin, modified in 2000 to reduce cost, is made of
copper-plated steel (94% steel, 1.5% nickel, 4.5% copper). From 1997
until 2000, the coin was made of copper-plated zinc. Prior to 1997 the
one-cent coin was 98% copper, 1.75% zinc and 0.25% other metals."

25c:-
1908-1919 92.5% silver
1920-1967 80% silver
1967-1968 50% silver
1968-1999 99.9% nickel
2000-date 94% steel (cupro-nickel plated)

A circulating 2 dollar coin was introduced in 1996 to replace
banknotes as was also the 1 dollar in 1987.

The 50 cent seems to be the Canadian version of the Crown:-
"The current design was produced by former Royal Canadian Mint
engraver Thomas Shingles and was first used in 1959. In recent
decades, the fifty-cent circulation coin has not been widely used in
day-to-day transactions, yet it remains popular with coin collectors."