Quirky Canadian currency

FROM 16TH-CENTURY SHIELDS TO THE LATEST LOONIES, OUR MONEY HAS BEEN ON AN INTRIGUING JOURNEY. SARAH ROBERTS EXAMINES SOME OF THE COLOURFUL AND QUIRKY CHARACTERISTICS OF CANADIAN CURRENCY

BEAVER BARTERING Early forms of currency include furs, shells, beads and shields. A $3 square beaver coin is issued in 2006 to commemorate tokens of the fur trade.

DEVIL IN THE DETAIL The 1954 notes are dubbed the “devil’s head” series because the Queen’s hair is thought to resemble a grinning demon. The face plates are subsequently modified.

FLYING FAR To qualify for the 1986 bird series, featured avians have to be found across Canada and need to blend with the bank notes’ colours.

JACKS AND JOKERS Following a shortage of French coins in the 17th and 18th centuries, marked playing cards are used for payment.

IDENTIFY THE ARTIST In 1937, G.E. Kruger-Gray designs both the penny’s maple leaf and the 5c beaver, while Emanuel Hahn creates the 10c Bluenose schooner and the quarter’s caribou.

MORSE MESSAGE Due to a wartime nickel shortage, tombac is used to create 12-sided 5c pieces in 1943. V for victory and a burning torch replace the beaver, while the coin rim contains a Morse code message: “We win when we work willingly.”

ODD NUMBERS Official Dominion of Canada notes, issued after 1867, include a $4 bill. Some banks also dodge monetary rules by producing $6 and $7 notes. The Bank of Canada’s 1935 inaugural series includes $25 and $500 bills.

RETIRING TYPE The $1 note officially retires in 1989 in place of the 11-sided loonie. In 2000, Canada bids farewell to the $1,000 note to fight money laundering.

TODAY’S TRADE More than one billion Canadian circulation coins are minted each year, while the average lifespan of a $5 and $10 note is just one to two years.

WORLD FIRSTS The toonie’s bi-metallic locking mechanism is patented in 1996. Another unique product, the 2004 poppy quarter, becomes the world’s first coloured circulation coin. BEAVER BARTERING Early forms of currency include furs, shells, beads and shields. A $3 square beaver coin is issued in 2006 to commemorate tokens of the fur trade.

DEVIL IN THE DETAIL The 1954 notes are dubbed the “devil’s head” series because the Queen’s hair is thought to resemble a grinning demon. The face plates are subsequently modified.

FLYING FAR To qualify for the 1986 bird series, featured avians have to be found across Canada and need to blend with the bank notes’ colours.

JACKS AND JOKERS Following a shortage of French coins in the 17th and 18th centuries, marked playing cards are used for payment.

IDENTIFY THE ARTIST In 1937, G.E. Kruger-Gray designs both the penny’s maple leaf and the 5c beaver, while Emanuel Hahn creates the 10c Bluenose schooner and the quarter’s caribou.

MORSE MESSAGE Due to a wartime nickel shortage, tombac is used to create 12-sided 5c pieces in 1943. V for victory and a burning torch replace the beaver, while the coin rim contains a Morse code message: “We win when we work willingly.”

ODD NUMBERS Official Dominion of Canada notes, issued after 1867, include a $4 bill. Some banks also dodge monetary rules by producing $6 and $7 notes. The Bank of Canada’s 1935 inaugural series includes $25 and $500 bills.

RETIRING TYPE The $1 note officially retires in 1989 in place of the 11-sided loonie. In 2000, Canada bids farewell to the $1,000 note to fight money laundering.

TODAY’S TRADE More than one billion Canadian circulation coins are minted each year, while the average lifespan of a $5 and $10 note is just one to two years.

WORLD FIRSTS The toonie’s bi-metallic locking mechanism is patented in 1996. Another unique product, the 2004 poppy quarter, becomes the world’s first coloured circulation coin.

Words | Sarah Roberts