1992 Canadian Penny
The 1992 Canadian Penny is a one-cent coin struck for circulation with 673.5 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1992
- Circulation mintage
- 673,512,000
- Value band
- Face value
- Composition
- Bronze (98% copper, 1.75% tin, 0.25% zinc)
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1992 Canadian Penny worth?
With 673.5 million made, the 1992 Canadian Penny is common. A circulated one is worth face value. The cent is still legal tender even though the Mint stopped issuing it in 2013. Only coins with full original red color, a recognized variety or a genuine error interest collectors.
What would make yours worth more:
- Full original red color
- A recognized variety or a genuine mint error
- Coins from a specimen or proof set
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 1992 Canadian Penny rare?
- No. 673.5 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 1992 Canadian pennies were made?
- 673,512,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1992 Canadian Penny made of?
- Bronze (98% copper, 1.75% tin, 0.25% zinc). It weighs 2.5 g and measures 19.1 mm, with a 12-sided shape.
- Is the 1992 Canadian Penny still legal tender?
- Yes. The Royal Canadian Mint stopped distributing cents in 2013, but they remain legal tender. Cash payments are rounded to the nearest five cents, so most pennies now sit in jars or go to banks.
The 1992 penny in context
Canada marked the 125th anniversary of Confederation in 1992 and every circulating coin that year carried the double date 1867-1992 instead of a single year. The cent kept its usual designs otherwise, so the double date is what makes the 1992 different. A total of 673,512,000 were struck, a lower figure than 1991 but still a huge run by any earlier standard.
The anniversary year was a busy one for the mint. Alongside the double dated regular coins, it issued the 125th anniversary quarter series with a different design for each province and territory, along with a commemorative dollar. The cent was not part of that series, but the double date ties it to the same celebration. For collectors, the 1992 is a simple coin with a story behind it. It was the third year of Dora de Pédery-Hunt's portrait and one of the later years of the 12-sided shape, which ended after 1996. Many people kept a 1992 cent as a souvenir of the anniversary and it is a common sight in old coin jars across the country.
How to recognize it
Dora de Pédery-Hunt's crowned portrait of the queen faces right with ELIZABETH II D·G·REGINA. The reverse is Kruger Gray's maple twig with CANADA, 1 CENT and the double date 1867-1992. The coin is 12-sided and weighs 2.5 g, struck in bronze of 98% copper, 1.75% tin and 0.25% zinc. The double date is the detail to look for and it is easy to read even on a worn coin. Hold it up and count the flat edges if you're unsure: twelve sides confirm the bronze cent of this period, since the round shape did not return until 1997. The portrait is the crowned effigy used from 1990, so a tiara portrait on a 1992 coin would be a misreading of the date.
1992 Canadian Penny by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 1992 Canadian Penny ranks 126th lowest of 151 Canadian cent dates and varieties from 1858 to 2012. The next scarcer is the 2004 Canadian Penny (653.3 million); the next more common is the 1974 Canadian Penny (692.1 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1981 Round Canadian Penny with 1.21 billion, about 1.8 times as many. The scarcest is the 1858 Canadian Penny with 421,000, 1600 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1992 output was 1.2 times fewer than 1991 and 1.1 times fewer than 1993.
Over the 1990s the Mint produced 6.82 billion cents across 10 dates and varieties; the 1992 Canadian Penny accounts for 9.9% of that.
What to check on your 1992 Canadian Penny
- Check the color. Collectors describe copper cents as red, red-brown or brown; original red color is worth far more than toned or dull surfaces.
- Never clean it. Rubbing, polishing or dipping leaves fine scratches and an unnatural color that collectors spot at once.
With more than 670 million struck, the 1992 is common and worn coins are face value. Uncirculated red coins draw a small premium and the mint also sold the anniversary coins in sets, which tend to have better surfaces than coins from change. The double date makes the 1992 a popular souvenir and a nice addition to a type set. Look for full red color and sharp corners on the twelve sides. Coins from a fresh roll are the best choice if you want an uncirculated example.
Crowned and uncrowned portraits, 1990 to 2003
Dora de Pédery-Hunt's crowned portrait of the queen arrived in 1990, making her the first Canadian artist to design the royal effigy for Canada's coins. In 1992 cents carried the double date 1867-1992 for the 125th anniversary of Confederation. The 12-sided shape ended after 1996. From 1997 the cent was round again and made of zinc with a thin copper plating, 2.25 g, as the price of copper made a solid bronze coin too costly. Cents dated 2002 carry 1952-2002 for the Golden Jubilee of the queen's accession.
Copper-plated steel arrived on circulation cents dated 2002. These are marked with a small P for plated and weigh 2.35 g and for several years zinc and steel coins were made side by side. In 2003, fifty years after the coronation, Susanna Blunt's portrait replaced de Pédery-Hunt's. It shows the queen without a crown and it stayed on the cent until production ended. That gives 2003 four distinct types: crowned without a P, crowned with a P, uncrowned without a P and uncrowned with a P.
The useful checks here are the portrait, the shape and a magnet. A 12-sided coin is from 1996 or earlier. A P under the portrait means plated steel and a fridge magnet will pick those up while zinc cents ignore it. On 2003 coins, look at the queen's head first: a crown or bare hair tells you which portrait you have. Mintages are huge, apart from a few short runs in 2003, so almost every coin here is face value unless it is a variety in sharp condition.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 1 cent |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1992 |
| Circulation mintage | 673,512,000 |
| Composition | Bronze (98% copper, 1.75% tin, 0.25% zinc) |
| Weight | 2.5 g |
| Diameter | 19.1 mm |
| Shape | 12-sided |
| Edge | Plain |
Frequently asked questions
Why do Canadian cents say 1867-1992?
All circulating Canadian coins dated 1992 carried the double date 1867-1992 to mark the 125th anniversary of Confederation. The cent kept its regular designs otherwise, with the maple twig reverse.
Is the 1992 Canadian penny rare?
No. More than 670 million were struck, so worn coins are face value. Uncirculated red coins draw a small premium and the double date makes it a popular souvenir of the anniversary year.
Mintage figures: Penny (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.