1944 – 5 Cents Canada

The 1944 Canadian 5 cents coin, known as the “Victory Nickel,” was made of steel due to wartime demands that forced a suspension in the use of copper and zinc. This coin is composed of steel with a 0.0127 mm nickel plating and an additional very thin 0.0003 mm chromium plating to slow wear. The 5-cent piece has a 12-sided shape with a diameter of 21.3 mm (corner to corner) and weighs 4.54 grams. Its obverse features the bust of King George VI, designed by Thomas Humphrey Paget, and the reverse shows a large Roman numeral V with a torch in the center surrounded by dots and dashes that encode the Morse code message “We Win When We Work Willingly,” symbolizing victory and sacrifice during World War II. Due to the plating process, the edges of the coins were often left unplated, making them vulnerable to rust. The design was hand-cut by the Royal Canadian Mint’s master engraver, Thomas Shingles, and the coin carries a plain edge and a medal alignment die axis. The mintage for this steel coin was 11,532,784.