• The discussion of Stephen Harpers government splitting up Canada and Quebec is still extremely hot. I thought I would take a moment to dig into my personal rare and old coin collection to find my oldest canadian coin - The 1812 Canadian Half Penny Coin .

    The oldest one I found is the 1812 half penny token canadian oldest coin I'm not sure if this is Canada's Oldest Coin but it certainly has to be pretty close to it.

    I found a better picture of the 1812 half penny token canadian coin on this site.


    (I have a new respect for all of the www.ebay.ca marketers as they have to take a ton of photos of small objects such as Canadian coins).

    This coin, as small as it is, and as worn as is, is steeped in Canadian history, and in Canadian money history. This coin date back to well before Canadian Confederation in 1867. The year Canada became a country.

    This coin dates back to the Canadian Settlers, Canadian Fur Traders, coureur de bois, and the roots of Canadian culture. That's why I value them so much.

    When I first purchased this coin, I was overwhelmed with the steep Canadian history that they represented.

    This coin dates back 150 years before credit cards were introduced into Canadian culture. And on and on.

    Here's what I know about history and culture: It takes hundreds of years to develop and grow. The relationships we have built amongst the peoples and provinces of Canada have taken more than 200 years to build.

    Will breaking up Canada and Quebec take another 200 years to rebuild the culture and history? That's pretty expensive relative to the rich and wonderful Canadian history all of the provinces and Territories share and enjoy.

    Dear Quebecois and Stephen Harper, let's stay together as a country.

    FROM WIKIPEDIA
    This coin dates back to Canadian Invasion of 1812 where according to wikipedia:
    The War of 1812 was fought between the United States of America and Great Britain and its Canadian colonies from 1812 to 1815 on land and sea. The Americans declared war on Britain on June 18, 1812, for a combination of reasons--a psychological[citation needed] desire to assert full independence, the desire to expand into Canadian territory (later known as Manifest destiny), outrage at the impressment (seizure) of thousands of American sailors, frustration at British restraints on neutral trade while Britain warred with France, and anger at British support for Indian attacks on the frontier.

    Tags: rare old canadian coins.

    UPDATE: After writing this post, I decided to research a little about what is the oldest Canadian coin? I searched around, but I couldn't seem to find any older coins than the 1812 Half Penny.

    If there are any coin collectors reading, I would appreciate feed back as to which are the rarist and oldest canadian coins in Canada.

    1812 seems to take you back pretty far in Canadian history.
    I found these dates that the provinces joined Confederation




    Province or TerritoryJoined Confederation
    Alberta1905
    British Columbia1871
    Manitoba1870
    New Brunswick1867
    Newfoundland1949
    Northwest Territories1870
    Nova Scotia 1867
    Nunavut1999
    Ontario1867
    Prince Edward Island1873
    Quebec1867
    Saskatchewan1905
    Yukon 1898


    UPDATE: January 7, 2007
    I was in a coin shop today and was asking about the earliest "Canadian Coins". The coin shop owner mentioned that the earliest Canadian coins that are considered "Canadian" were from 1858.

    The word Canada has to appear on the coin for it to be considered Canadian.

    This coin shown above was used as currency on the geography which is now called Canada, but it's not considered as a Canadian Coin.

    I'm curious to know if anybody has pictures of other coins from Canada from 1858 or is the penny the only coin from that time period?


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12 Comments
On Dec 18, 2009, Dean Brault Said:
Hey all; I need info on an old coin .would appreciate any info on this coin or where to get info. It is a 2 head on one side ,1 male 1 female , male has beard,plus confederation & canada & dates ; 1867 & 1927.
the other side ; 4 symbols,lion head,harp,3 fleur de lysand can't understand the 4th to describe it.also has this ; a mari vsqve ad mare. Hoping for help , thanks Dean
On Oct 16, 2009, Steve O`Connell Said:
I have the same 1812 half penny and I am
interested in finding out it`s worth.
On Sep 26, 2009, Carlos Lomba Said:
I have what apears to be a 1892 canadian coin.
I believe it to be a 25 cent coin.
I have seen many coins that look similiar, but none that match its markings.
It is fairly tarnished and hard to read.
What is a good product to use to try and clean it up?
Where can I find a site that shows a record of old Canadian coins?
On May 23, 2009, Preeti Said:
dear monty,
your blo post is truly amazing. I am fond of < ahref="http://www.reminicents.com">coin jewelry and I too am fnd of coin collection but I have never gone so much in depth.
Wonderful post. Good job
On Feb 2, 2009, Carolina Said:
I have this same coin dated 1812. I would love to know if anyone has any info on it!!
On Oct 20, 2008, john Said:
I need info on this coin.I have one
On Jun 10, 2008, kate Said:
I have a half penny with CANADA on one side and half penny on the other side, no pictures and printing is very clear, dated .. 1830. Can you help me? Kate
On Jan 14, 2008, Lynn Tees Said:
I have a Canadian currency bill printed in 1923,value 25cents. is it worth more than that?
On Jan 1, 2008, ron howell Said:
i have a 1867 canadian penny.not a centual coin.what is its worth...is it rare....pla reply thanks
On Aug 1, 2007, duty Said:
i have a canadian penny from 1867 and i was wondering the value of it. is there a way you can direct me to a place where i can find information on this? thanks for the time.
On Mar 5, 2007, Joe Langwald Said:
I know nothing about coins. I just inherited some though and looking through noticed several very old ones including the same 1812 half peeny.

In your article it says 1858 is the oldest ones with Canada on it. Well I seem to have some that prove otherwise.

I have one from 1816 that says Canada on it as well as the years 1842, 1850 and 1857.

I need to check these guys out to see what I have in my hands.

Joe
On Dec 2, 2006, QCK - Calgary Said:
What's the big deal if Canada splits up. Life is always about change and moving forward. What's the big deal?