Making Change: The Story of the Canadian Penny. On January 2, 1908, Countess Alice Grey, wife of Canada’s ninth Governor-General, Albert Henry George Grey, had the honour of striking Canada’s first domestically produced coin: a 1-cent piece. But the Canadian penny itself had already been alive and well for half a century by then.. 1858: Of Tokens and Copper Buttons. When Upper Canada (Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec) were united into the Province of Canada in 1841, Spanish and American silver and gold, British sovereigns, and copper tokens – even copper buttons – circulated alongside one another. By 1858, however, standardized decimal coins bearing the word “CANADA” were circulated in bronze in a 1-cent denomination and silver in 5-cent, 10-cent, and 20-cent denominations. 1920: Two Maple Leaves On a Smaller Penny. The Royal Mint introduced a new design for the penny, created by Fred Lewis, featuring two maple leaves flanking the words “ONE CENT” beneath the word “CANADA” on the coin’s reverse side. The Mint also reduced the penny’s diameter. 1967: The Penny Takes Flight to Celebrate Confederation. To celebrate Canada’s centennial, famed Canadian artist Alex Colville created a special commemorative set of coin designs for 1967. His design for the 1-cent piece – an image of the rock dove in flight – is still found in circulation today. 2012: The Canadian Penny’s Last Year. Since Countess Grey struck the first Canadian-minted penny in 1908, more than 35 billion have been produced. In 2012, the Government of Canada announced its decision to eliminate the penny from Canada’s coinage system. Though the humble penny will one day disappear from our midst, its unique role in the history of Canadian coinage remains timeless. And the penny itself, though perhaps no longer present in our pockets, will always hold a special place in our hearts. The item “Set of 5 Coins Canada 2012 Silver Proof Set Farewell to the Penny” is in sale since Tuesday, June 5, 2018. This item is in the category “Coins & Paper Money\Coins\ Canada\Commemorative”. The seller is “gallant1982″ and is located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada.