1 Cent - Elizabeth II 4th portrait, magnetic

Canada's shift to copper-plated steel cents in 1999 was driven by rising copper prices that made the old zinc-core composition increasingly uneconomical. This magnetic variant, distinguished from the brass-plated zinc pieces by its steel core, ran concurrently with non-magnetic issues during a transitional production period that has made variety attribution a minor obsession among Canadian cent specialists.

The fourth portrait by Susanna Blunt was introduced in 2003 following a worldwide competition — the first time a Canadian artist won the commission for a circulating effigy of the monarch.