For Canadian coin collectors, the 1960s are a significant decade. The decade would see minting errors on several coins creating collectors’ items as well as a change to the design of the coin. This era is one of the more interesting ones when it comes to unique coins and changes to Canadian currency.
1962 Double Date Cent
Some one cent coins from 1962 have a doubling on the last three digits of the date. There is also a ghost under date that has shifted up just a bit from the main date. This variety is known as DOUBLE DATE and is similar to what has been found on the five cent coin from the same year. This suggests that a machine doubling issue was at play with the minting press which caused the die to bounce during striking. This would create the slightly double effect with an off-set.
Also in 1962, there is a one cent coin known as the HARP. This coin has vertical lines located between the 1 of ‘1 Cent’ and the notch of the maple leaf. This is most likely due to die polish marks. If the lines are stronger at the bottom, the coin is then known as a GUITAR variety instead of a HARP.
1963 Cent
In 1963, a die clash caused the chin of the Queen to be transferred to the reverse of one 1963 cent die. The result was a faint line that curled from the maple leaf on the left to the top of the 3. This is known as the Hanging 3 variety.
1965 Design Change
In the year 1965, a design change would be made to the one cent coin. A more mature portrait of the Queen would be used on the obverse side of the coin. The image would be of the Queen wearing a tiara. The design was created by Arnold Machin. The reverse side would still continue to use the maple leaf image created by Kruger-Gray.
The 1965 one cent coin has four varieties, each based on the size of the beads that are located around the head of the Queen plus the shape of the 5 on the top right. Small beads with a pointed 5 are slightly scarce while the large beads with a pointed 5 are the scarcest. The more common coins found from 1965 are the small beads with a blunt 5 and large beads with a blunt 5.
1967 Centennial Coin
In 1967, the Royal Canadian Mint created a unique coin based on the 100th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada. Each coin issued in this minting would include an animal that is common to the region. On the one cent coin, Alex Coville would feature a dove. The coins were struck with huge numbers and are very common.
The Centennial coin marks the end of changes and rarities for the 1960s. It is recommended that any coins found in this era be evaluated by an expert to be able to determine the true value.