1 Cent - Elizabeth II 4th portrait, non-magnetic

The shift to copper-plated zinc for Canadian cents had occurred years earlier, but the fourth portrait of Elizabeth II — sculpted by Susanna Blunt — introduced a subtle controversy on its own: it was the first Canadian effigy of the monarch that she personally approved of, reportedly dissatisfied with all three previous versions. The non-magnetic zinc planchet distinguishes this transitional issue from the steel-core cents that followed as the Royal Canadian Mint moved toward cheaper substrate options ahead of the coin's eventual discontinuation in 2013.