2006 Canada Elizabeth II 5 Cents (non-magnetic)

About the 2006 Canada Elizabeth II 5 Cents (non-magnetic)

Canadian artist Susanna Blunt designed the portrait, which shows the Queen uncrowned with a mature and approachable expression and marks a clear departure from earlier crowned and tiara-bearing effigies. The obverse carries the legend ELIZABETH II D G REGINA. The reverse retains the beloved beaver seated on a rock before a stylised waterscape, the work of G.E. During the reign of Elizabeth II, the Royal Canadian Mint shifted its smaller denominations to plated steel to reduce production costs. For a time, copper-nickel pieces were produced alongside their magnetic counterparts at the Ottawa and Winnipeg facilities, so pieces of identical design could differ in metal content. The simplest way to identify this type is with a magnet: it will not attract, while its plated steel counterparts will. Collectors value the type as a tangible record of the Mint's changeover from traditional alloys to modern plated steel, and specialists seek it to complete sets that document both compositions under the 4th portrait.