Explore stories from our collection and our economic heritage.
March 29, 2019
TTC Tokens and the Proposed 1978 Cent
By: David Bergeron
In 1977, the Royal Canadian Mint wanted to reduce the size of the penny in response to the rising price of copper. Little did the Mint know that the Toronto Transit Commission’s reaction would force the cancellation of the program.
Content type(s):
Blog posts
February 19, 2019
The Coming of the Toonie
The life expectancy of a two-dollar paper note was about a year. But coins can last for more than 10 years.
Content type(s):
Blog posts
January 3, 2019
The first Canadian nickel
By: David Bergeron
The size of the 1-cent coin was reduced to save on the cost of copper. At the same time, there were proposals to mint Canadian coins out of cheap and abundant nickel.
Content type(s):
Blog posts
December 28, 2018
A Good Deal
By: David Bergeron
In Canada playing cards were used as form of emergency money at a time when the colony constantly suffered from a shortage gold and silver coins.
Content type(s):
Blog posts
December 14, 2018
Esperanto: universal language¬—universal coinage?
By: David Bergeron
During the first international assembly of the Ligo in 1946, a decision was made to introduce a common world currency with an internationally stable value.
Content type(s):
Blog posts
