Description
This set of 99.99% pure silver coins selectively plated in pink gold features two 2-ounce coins and three 1-ounce coins. The two 2-ounce coins have a diameter of 54 millimetres. The three 1-ounce coins have a diameter of 38 millimetres. The 2-ounce coins feature the original reverse design from Canada's 1908 1-cent piece: a vine-like wreath of 16 maple leaves framing a centre field engraved with the face value. The wreath is framed on both sides with raised dots. The 1-ounce coins feature the original reverse designs from 1920 and 1967, and the 12-sided design from 1982.
The 1920 replica features two maple leaves on either side of the reverse field, flanking the face value. The 1967 coin features Alex Colville's iconic rock dove. The 1982 replica features G.E. Kruger-Gray's maple leaf twig, originally introduced in 1937. Its 12-sided design recalls the shape of the penny from 1982 to 1997. The obverse of each coin includes their original effigies.
The two coin sizes in this set reflect a historical change in the dimension of the penny. From the penny's first issue in 1908 to the year 1920, the diameter of the Canadian 1-cent piece was 25.4 millimetres. Beginning later in 1920, the penny's diameter was reduced to 19.05 millimetres. The diameter of the set's two 2-ounce coins has been enlarged to reflect the pre-1920 large penny, while the three 1-ounce coins reflect the smaller penny that was produced after 1920.