★First federal cent format

Large Cent

The 25.4 mm large cent carries the denomination from the Province of Canada's 1858 decimal issue through the final large-format production in 1920. Its wreath-and-vine reverse spans the L.C. Wyon and W.H.J. Blakemore generations.

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Scope is limited to the verified type or program level. Issue mintages, prices, varieties, and survival estimates are not inferred from this summary.

◆2Design generations

◆13Annual rows

◆1Technical standards

◆6Cited sources

Major one cent types

Know the boundary before the date

Large cents are divided from the small-cent branch by physical format first. For the Mint's documented 1908–1920 standard, the coin is 25.4 mm, 5.67 g, and 95.5% copper, 3% tin, and 1.5% zinc. The reverse places ONE CENT and the date within maple leaves carried on a winding vine; the portrait and lettering then place the coin within its Victoria, Edward VII, or George V generation.

• Primary identifiers — Reverse: ONE CENT and date within maple leaves carried on a winding vine. Obverse: Reigning monarch portrait.
• Authority and dates — Province of Canada / Canada; recorded range 1858–1920.
• Evidence boundary — Unknown specifications remain unknown; unverified varieties, mintages, and prices stay outside the public catalog.

The historical scope of Large Cent

The Bank of Canada Museum records that ten million Province of Canada cents were made in 1858–1859 and that the supply delayed the next issue until 1876. Local production began when the Ottawa branch of the Royal Mint opened in 1908. The Mint separates the reverse into L.C. Wyon's 1858–1911 work and the revised 1911–1920 generation credited on its page to W.H.J. Blackmore; the Royal Mint Museum spelling Blakemore is retained in this catalog with the conflict disclosed.

The catalog places this record in the One cent branch, records its material scope as 95.5% copper, 3% tin, 1.5% zinc for the 1908–1920 Mint standard, and records its finish as circulation. Those fields are supported by the sources listed below; missing issue-level transitions are not filled by inference.

1. 1858 · First decimal cent — The Province of Canada introduced the one-cent denomination before Confederation.
2. 1876 · Dominion issue resumes — After the oversized 1858–1859 supply, federal cent production returned.
3. 1908 · Ottawa begins — Canada's first locally made cent was struck when the Ottawa branch opened.
4. 1920 · Large and small in one year — Copper economics produced a reduced 19.05 mm, 3.24 g format.

Design and identification

Large cents are divided from the small-cent branch by physical format first. For the Mint's documented 1908–1920 standard, the coin is 25.4 mm, 5.67 g, and 95.5% copper, 3% tin, and 1.5% zinc. The reverse places ONE CENT and the date within maple leaves carried on a winding vine; the portrait and lettering then place the coin within its Victoria, Edward VII, or George V generation.

• Large cent · maple-leaf vine · 1858–1911 · L.C. Wyon — ONE CENT and the date sit within a beaded circle, surrounded by maple leaves carried on a winding vine.
• Large cent · revised vine · 1911–1920 · W.H.J. Blakemore — The large-cent reverse retained the vine framework while adding CANADA and adapting the tooling for the George V era.

Finish by checking the edge (plain), composition (95.5% copper, 3% tin, 1.5% zinc for the 1908–1920 Mint standard), and any recorded dimensions or weight; colour or wear alone is not enough for attribution.

Official annual production

The Mint's annual table begins in 1908. Its 1920 figure covers both large and small cents and is shown as transition-year context, not as a large-cent-only total.

Displayed-row sum: 104,784,180 · 13 official annual rows

Three anchors that do not depend on price

• 1858 · First Canadian cent — A pre-Confederation Province of Canada issue and the logical starting point for the denomination's story.
• 1920 · Two physical formats — Both the final large cent and first small cent carry this date; diameter is the immediate dividing test.

Specifications within this type

1908–1920 · Round

Composition

95.5% copper, 3% tin, 1.5% zinc

Weight

5.67 g

Diameter

25.4 mm

Thickness

Not stated

Official annual production catalog

The Mint's annual table begins in 1908. Its 1920 figure covers both large and small cents and is shown as transition-year context, not as a large-cent-only total.

Collecting paths and checklist

A type collection can represent the Wyon and Blakemore reverse generations before moving into dates and portrait subtypes. The official annual mintage table begins only in 1908, and its 1920 row combines the large- and small-cent transition rather than reporting a large-cent-only figure. Prices, survival estimates, and unverified varieties remain outside this page until issue-level evidence is reviewed.

• One-coin type study — Choose one representative that clearly shows the principal obverse and reverse, then learn the type boundary.
• Design and technical generations — Add a generation only when sources confirm a change in composition, shape, size, edge, or principal design.
• Source-backed date study — Expand into dates or varieties only after issue identity, specifications, and production evidence are verified field by field.

Collector checklist

• Do not clean the coin; cleaning changes surfaces and can obscure evidence.
• Compare date, portrait, design, edge, weight, diameter, and metal response together.
• Have consequential or high-value attributions reviewed by an appropriate specialist or certification service.
• Catalog information is research context, not an appraisal, offer, or investment guarantee.

Two source conflicts remain visible

The Royal Canadian Mint technical table gives 25.4 mm for 1908–1920 large cents, while the Bank of Canada Museum narrative says the pre-1920 coin shrank from 24.4 mm. This page uses 25.4 mm in the specification table because it is the Mint's explicit technical value and does not silently merge the discrepancy. The Mint denomination page and 2012 report spell the 1911–1920 contributor “Blackmore”; the Royal Mint Museum and another Mint product record identify the resident engraver as W.H.J. Blakemore, the spelling used here.

Sources

1. 1 centRoyal Canadian Mint

   One-cent reverse designs, designers, technical generations, annual mintages from 1908 through 2012, and the end of production in 2012.

2. Whatever happened to the penny? A history of our one-cent coinBank of Canada Museum

   The 1858 introduction, Ottawa production, 1920 size change, 1936 dot coins, design transitions, metal changes, final 2012 strike, withdrawal, and rounded historical production total.

3. Australian pattern florinRoyal Mint Museum

   W.H.J. Blakemore's name spelling and role as a resident engraver at the Royal Mint.

4. One cent coins of CanadaWikimedia Commons

   High-resolution, license-documented visual references for the 1858, 1920, 1937, and 1967 reverse identities used to ground the project-owned editorial hero composite.

5. Government of Canada and Royal Canadian Mint bid farewell to the Canadian pennyGovernment of Canada

   Penny phase-out chronology and final distribution in February 2013.

6. A History of the Canadian DollarBank of Canada

   Decimal adoption, 1858 coinage, 1870 Dominion coinage, provincial issues, Newfoundland, and mint history.