Death of the Penny

I confess I needed to look up DDW's challenge word, patina. Here's the definition in the Free Online Dictionary:
1. A thin greenish layer, usually basic copper sulfate, that forms on copper or copper alloys, such as bronze, as a result of corrosion.
2. The sheen on any surface, produced by age and use.
3. A change in appearance produced by long-standing behavior, practice, or use: a face etched with a patina of fine lines and tiny wrinkles.

In digging a little deeper, I discovered that the patina look is sought after in antiques, and described as enhancing or adding interest to the vintage pieces - definition 2. I could have taken a selfie to depict definition 3, but instead opted for a photo that contrasts shiny coins with those in various stages of oxidation.

I pondered the value of aging - does it enhance or make it worthless? I wondered about the value placed on aging on furniture, the look which is imitated with new pieces to make them look old. It seems as though we do everything to prevent the aging look in people!

But I digress...back to the penny.

Our Canadian penny is no longer in circulation. It was the lack of value that led to its demise. A journalist, Daniel Schwartz, used a little humor and penned it's obituary for CBC News .

"Penny, Canadian — Passed away peacefully on Feb. 4, 2013, when the Royal Canadian Mint stopped distributing the copper-coloured coin.

The penny's demise had been anticipated since March 29, 2012, when federal Finance Minister James Flaherty announced in the budget that his government had decided to phase out the smallest denomination of Canada's currency.

The Canadian penny traces its origins to 1858, when the then-province of Canada adopted the decimal system for its currency. Initially, it was struck at the Royal Mint in Great Britain. That penny had Queen Victoria on the obverse (or "heads") side and a vine of maple leaves on the reverse (or "tails") side.

Moved to Canada in 1908

Penny production moved to Canada in 1908, when the Ottawa branch of the Royal Mint opened. Countess Grey, the wife of Canada's governor general at the time, struck the first penny at the mint's official opening on Jan. 2. Until 1997, the penny's composition was at least 95.5 per cent copper.

From 1920 to 1936, the reverse side design featured two maple leaves, but that changed in 1937, when the current maple twig design was adopted. The design was the work of English artist George Edward Kruger Gray, whose initials, KG, appear to the lower right of the maple twig.

The year 2006 was a significant one for the Canadian penny, as it reached peak production. More than 1.26 billion pennies were minted that year. The last penny was minted in Winnipeg on May 4, 2012.

The cause of death for the penny was likely the drop in its purchasing power, as inflation took its toll. An 1870 penny would be worth about 31 cents today, adjusted for inflation. In its last year, one penny was costing the government 1.6 cents to produce. With the penny's passing, the government expects to save $11 million a year."

So there you have it, a newly "minted" word for me to add to my vocabulary!