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1 Cent - Victoria
| Issuer | Province of Canada |
|---|---|
| Year | 1858-1859 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | 1.21 mm |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The central field bears the denomination ONE CENT in large serif capitals arranged over two lines, with the date below, all enclosed within a beaded inner circle. Surrounding the central inscription, an ornate wreath of intertwining maple vine with detailed lobed maple leaves and sinuous stems encircles the design, filling the annular space between the beaded border and the toothed outer rim. The maple vine motif, a distinctly Canadian symbol, extends continuously around the full circumference of the reverse, lending the design an elaborate and finely engraved decorative quality characteristic of mid-Victorian coinage. |
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| Reverse lettering | ONE CENT 1858 |
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| Additional information |
These were Canada's first domestically-purposed decimal coins, ordered by the Province of Canada as it moved away from the chaotic mixture of British halfpence, bank tokens, and American cents that had circulated interchangeably for decades. The entire issue was struck at the Royal Mint in London — no Canadian minting infrastructure existed yet.
The 1858 issue saw roughly 421,000 pieces produced, but an additional order of 1,000,000 was struck in 1859 and backdated, creating the date overlap that defines this series. Several die varieties exist for the 1859, including a narrow-9 and wide-9 repunched date, the latter now genuinely scarce.