Elizabeth II reign and portrait era
Elizabeth II One Cent (1953–1964)
This page applies the requested 1953–1964 Elizabeth II browse lens to the reviewed one cent design, technical-standard, and annual-production evidence.
Scope is limited to the verified type or program level. Issue mintages, prices, varieties, and survival estimates are not inferred from this summary.
One cent reign and portrait eras
Know the boundary before the date
Begin with the recorded obverse (Elizabeth II effigy (Mary Gillick portrait)) and reverse (Two maple leaves on a twig; K·G initials at right). Then compare date, denomination, portrait, edge, diameter, weight, composition, and finish; a colour change or worn detail alone is not a reliable attribution.
- Primary identifiers — Reverse: Two maple leaves on a twig; K·G initials at right. Obverse: Elizabeth II effigy (Mary Gillick portrait).
- Authority and dates — Canada; recorded range 1953–1964.
- Evidence boundary — Unknown specifications remain unknown; unverified varieties, mintages, and prices stay outside the public catalog.
The historical scope of Elizabeth II One Cent (1953–1964)
The cited sources place this category under Canada and within the chronology shown here. Where a label crosses designs, authorities, metals, or portrait transitions, the page keeps those distinctions visible instead of merging them into one invented type.
The catalog places this record in the One cent branch, records its material scope as bronze, copper-plated zinc, and copper-plated steel generations, and records its finish as circulation. Those fields are supported by the sources listed below; missing issue-level transitions are not filled by inference.
- 1858 · First decimal cent — The Province of Canada introduced the one-cent denomination before Confederation.
Design and identification
Begin with the recorded obverse (Elizabeth II effigy (Mary Gillick portrait)) and reverse (Two maple leaves on a twig; K·G initials at right). Then compare date, denomination, portrait, edge, diameter, weight, composition, and finish; a colour change or worn detail alone is not a reliable attribution.
- Small cent · maple-leaf twig · 1937–1966, 1968–1981, 1997–2012 · G.E. Kruger-Gray — Two naturalistic maple leaves share a twig; K·G appears to the right. The same reverse identity continued through later round plated-metal generations.
Finish by checking the edge (plain; 12-sided form from 1982–1996), composition (bronze, copper-plated zinc, and copper-plated steel generations), and any recorded dimensions or weight; colour or wear alone is not enough for attribution.
Official annual production
Annual rows are denomination totals filtered to this requested era. They may combine portraits, commemorative reverses, or parallel formats and are not presented as portrait-only production.
Displayed-row sum: 1,675,026,222 · 12 official annual rows
Three anchors that do not depend on price
- 1953–1964 — The verified range assigned to Elizabeth II One Cent (1953–1964) in this catalog.
- Two maple leaves on a twig; K·G initials at right — The principal reverse is the first type-level attribution check.
- bronze, copper-plated zinc, and copper-plated steel generations — Compare it with the plain; 12-sided form from 1982–1996 edge and any recorded measurements.
Specifications within this type
1942–1977 · Round
- Composition
- 98% copper, 0.5% tin, 1.5% zinc
- Weight
- 3.24 g
- Diameter
- 19.05 mm
- Thickness
- 1.65 mm
Official annual production catalog
Annual rows are denomination totals filtered to this requested era. They may combine portraits, commemorative reverses, or parallel formats and are not presented as portrait-only production.
| Year | Design context | Technical context | Mintage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Maple-leaf-twig small cent | 19.05 mm · 3.24 g | 67,806,016 |
| 1954 | Maple-leaf-twig small cent | 19.05 mm · 3.24 g | 22,181,760 |
| 1955 | Maple-leaf-twig small cent | 19.05 mm · 3.24 g | 56,403,193 |
| 1956 | Maple-leaf-twig small cent | 19.05 mm · 3.24 g | 78,685,535 |
| 1957 | Maple-leaf-twig small cent | 19.05 mm · 3.24 g | 100,601,792 |
| 1958 | Maple-leaf-twig small cent | 19.05 mm · 3.24 g | 59,385,679 |
| 1959 | Maple-leaf-twig small cent | 19.05 mm · 3.24 g | 83,615,343 |
| 1960 | Maple-leaf-twig small cent | 19.05 mm · 3.24 g | 75,772,775 |
| 1961 | Maple-leaf-twig small cent | 19.05 mm · 3.24 g | 139,598,404 |
| 1962 | Maple-leaf-twig small cent | 19.05 mm · 3.24 g | 227,244,069 |
| 1963 | Maple-leaf-twig small cent | 19.05 mm · 3.24 g | 279,076,334 |
| 1964 | Maple-leaf-twig small cent | 19.05 mm · 3.24 g | 484,655,322 |
Collecting paths and checklist
Use the page first as a type or era checklist, then verify each dated issue independently before extending the set. Cleaned surfaces, plated-metal disturbance, patterns, special finishes, and commemorative reverses require separate treatment; catalog context is not an appraisal or investment promise.
- 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 centRoyal Canadian Mint
One-cent reverse designs, designers, technical generations, annual mintages from 1908 through 2012, and the end of production in 2012.
- 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.
- Australian pattern florinRoyal Mint Museum
W.H.J. Blakemore's name spelling and role as a resident engraver at the Royal Mint.
- 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.
- 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.
- A History of the Canadian DollarBank of Canada
Decimal adoption, 1858 coinage, 1870 Dominion coinage, provincial issues, Newfoundland, and mint history.
- Faces of the MonarchRoyal Canadian Mint
Canadian coin obverse portrait chronology through Charles III.