A Canadian nickel is a coin worth five cents, patterned on the corresponding coin in the neighbouring United States, and introduced in Canada in 1922. Prior to that year, Canadian five-cent pieces were small silver coins, colloquially known as "fish scales" due to their having been very thin.

Unlike the U.S. coin of the same name, Canadian nickels were actually struck in 100% nickel originally (their American counterparts being 75% copper and only 25% nickel). This changed in 1942, due to the need to use all available nickel for military purposes on account of World War II; in that year the composition became a brass alloy usually referred to as "tombac." The shape of the coin was concomitantly changed from round to dodecagonal, or 12-sided, most likely in an effort to make it easily distinguishable from the copper 1-cent coins; but confusion still resulted despite the change in shape, so in 1944 the alloy was changed to chromium-plated steel, which gave the coins a distinct "blue" tinge. Nickel was reinstated in 1946 (the 12-sided shape was retained until 1963, when the coins again became round).

In 1951, a special commemorative five-cent piece was struck to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the metal's initial discovery in Canada; but in a scenario that caused considerable embarrassment to the Canadian government, production of the coin had to be halted before the year even ended as the result of yet another war-driven nickel shortage, this one brought about by the Korean War. The chromium-plated steel alloy (which was magnetic) was then pressed into service again, this time through 1954. The coins reverted to nickel again the following year.

In 1982 the composition was changed to the same as that of the American five-cent piece — cupronickel (75% copper and 25% nickel) — and in 2000 it was changed again, to nickel-plated steel.

See also

• Big Nickel
• Nickel (U.S. coin)

External links

• Past and present designs of reverse side
• Past and present technical specifications
• Past and present mintages