I wonder how many people remember clutching a penny in one grubby hand on the way to the local corner store, where it could be exchanged for a marshmallow-covered chocolate or a wax bottle of sugary sweetness. Looking back, perhaps that was where my love of coins began.
I was born during the intervening years between the death of King George VI and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. If you know the dates of those historic events, you will know roughly how old I am. For my entire life, regardless of the denomination, Canadian currency has always featured the profile of our Queen. Over the years, her image changed to reflect the passage of time, but she remained a constant presence in my pocket or purse. Occasionally, I would come across an older coin featuring the likeness of King George VI.
As a teenager, I encountered my first piece of foreign currency. I stared at it in amazement. Imagine the journey it had taken from its country of origin, transferred from hand to hand, pocket to wallet, before it ended up in my palm. The imprint contained words in a language I could not read and, even more surprising, the image on the reverse was not our Queen. It felt both mysterious and fascinating.
Recently, I experienced a similar moment of surprise while examining another coin in my hand, an ordinary Canadian quarter, featuring the iconic caribou that has graced our currency since 1937. But when I turned it over, instead of Queen Elizabeth II, I found a man’s profile. Not King George VI, but a newer generation of royalty, the current reigning monarch, King Charles III.
I am not sure how I feel about that. For more than seventy years, Queen Elizabeth’s regal image has been part of my life. Replacing it feels strangely unsettling, like a part of our identity has been lost. And the change continues beyond our coins; community centres and schools across Canada have replaced portraits of our Queen with those of a new monarch.
In any case, that’s my perspective; others may see it differently. As Mark Twain observed, “It’s the difference of opinion that makes a good horse race.”
Judii Merle