Explore stories from our collection and our economic heritage.
April 1, 2019
How Does $ = Dollar?
By: Graham Iddon
How on earth did an “S” with a line or two through it come to represent a dollar? Any ideas? No? That’s OK, you’re in good company.
Content type(s):
Blog posts
March 29, 2019
TTC Tokens and the Proposed 1978 Cent
By: David Bergeron
In 1977, the Royal Canadian Mint wanted to reduce the size of the penny in response to the rising price of copper. Little did the Mint know that the Toronto Transit Commission’s reaction would force the cancellation of the program.
Content type(s):
Blog posts
March 8, 2019
The Vertical Note That Almost Was
By: Graham Iddon
The printing firms’ design teams went to work and came back with a surprising result: vertical notes.
Content type(s):
Blog posts
February 19, 2019
The Coming of the Toonie
The life expectancy of a two-dollar paper note was about a year. But coins can last for more than 10 years.
Content type(s):
Blog posts
February 8, 2019
The Canadian Roots of the “Greenback”
By: Graham Iddon
Successfully counterfeiting a bank note in the mid-19th century required an engraver with reasonably high talent and very low ethics.
Content type(s):
Blog posts
