2007 Non-Magnetic Canadian Penny
The 2007 Non-Magnetic Canadian Penny is a one-cent coin struck for circulation with 9.63 million made. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2007
- Circulation mintage
- 9,625,000
- Value band
- Small premium
- Composition
- Copper-plated zinc (98.4% zinc, 1.6% copper plating)
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 2007 Non-Magnetic Canadian Penny worth?
At 9.63 million, the 2007 Non-Magnetic Canadian Penny has a smaller run than most Canadian pennies, so collectors pay a small premium for it, especially in uncirculated condition. Well circulated examples sit close to face value.
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 2007 Non-Magnetic Canadian Penny rare?
- It is scarcer than most Canadian pennies. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many 2007 Non-Magnetic Canadian pennies were made?
- 9,625,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 2007 Non-Magnetic Canadian Penny made of?
- Copper-plated zinc (98.4% zinc, 1.6% copper plating). It weighs 2.25 g and measures 19.05 mm.
- Is the 2007 Non-Magnetic 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 2007 penny in context
By 2007 the Royal Canadian Mint had moved most cent production to plated steel. The records show 938,270,000 magnetic steel cents that year and only 9,625,000 non-magnetic zinc cents. That is roughly one zinc coin for every hundred steel ones and it makes the non-magnetic 2007 the lowest cent mintage since 1936.
The scarcity is not obvious at a glance, since the two versions look identical. They share the same date and the same designs: Susanna Blunt's uncrowned portrait and Kruger Gray's maple twig. The only quick way to tell them apart is a magnet: the steel cent sticks and the zinc cent does not. That simple test has made the 2007 non-magnetic a favorite with people sorting cents and it is the coin many Canadians look for when they first hear about the magnet trick. Sorting a few hundred 2007 cents takes only minutes and the odds of turning one up are low but real. It is not rare in the way the 1923 or 1925 are, but against the huge numbers of the period it stands out clearly.
How to recognize it
Susanna Blunt's uncrowned portrait faces right on the 2007 zinc cent, inside ELIZABETH II D·G·REGINA. The reverse is Kruger Gray's maple twig with CANADA, 1 CENT and 2007. The coin is round, weighs 2.25 g and is copper-plated zinc, so it will not stick to a magnet. The steel version weighs 2.35 g. Test every 2007 cent with a strong fridge magnet: if it pulls, it is the common steel coin; if nothing happens, you have the non-magnetic version. A scale that reads to a hundredth of a gram can confirm the weight difference. Make sure the coin is clean and dry before weighing it.
2007 Non-Magnetic Canadian Penny by the numbers
In mintage terms the 2007 Non-Magnetic Canadian Penny ranks 52nd lowest of 151 Canadian cent dates and varieties from 1858 to 2012. The next scarcer is the 1859 Canadian Penny (9.58 million); the next more common is the 1937 Canadian Penny (10 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1981 Round Canadian Penny with 1.21 billion, about 126 times as many. The scarcest is the 1858 Canadian Penny with 421,000, 23 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 2007 output was 14 times fewer than 2006 and 82 times fewer than 2008. Other 2007 cents: 2007 Magnetic Canadian Penny (938.3 million).
Over the 2000s the Mint produced 8.29 billion cents across 19 dates and varieties; the 2007 Non-Magnetic Canadian Penny accounts for 0.1% of that.
What to check on your 2007 Non-Magnetic Canadian Penny
- Try a magnet: a genuine 2007 Non-Magnetic Canadian Penny is plated zinc and does not stick.
- Confirm the variety: non-magnetic (zinc). Use a magnifier and compare with a reference picture before you assume you have the scarcer one.
- Check the color. Collectors describe copper cents as red, red-brown or brown; bright original 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.
The 2007 non-magnetic draws more interest than any other cent of the late period because of its low mintage. Worn coins are still close to face value, but uncirculated red coins draw a small premium and collectors actively look for them. Because the difference is invisible, always use a magnet before deciding. Zinc cents can corrode where the plating is damaged, which shows as gray spots or bubbles, so look for an even copper surface. Keep any you find separate and labeled. A single uncirculated example is a fine centerpiece for a set of late cents.
Plated steel and the last cents, 2004 to 2012
By 2004 the cent was being made in two versions: copper-plated zinc at 2.25 g and copper-plated steel at 2.35 g. Steel coins carried a small P through 2006. That year the Royal Canadian Mint began placing its own logo on coins, so 2006 cents come with a P, with the logo or with no mark at all. From 2007 the useful way to sort them is with a magnet. Steel cents stick and zinc cents don't and the published mintages for several years split along those lines.
The design stayed the same throughout: Susanna Blunt's uncrowned portrait of the queen on one side and Kruger Gray's maple twig on the other. What changed was the economics. By then the cent had come to cost more than its face value to make. The federal government announced in 2012 that production would stop and the mint struck its final cent that May in Winnipeg. Banks stopped receiving new supplies after February 4, 2013, when the mint ceased distributing cents. Cash prices are now rounded to the nearest five cents, while electronic payments still settle to the cent.
Cents remain legal tender and huge numbers sit in jars across the country, so almost all of these coins are face value. The points worth checking are the magnet result and the date. Non-magnetic zinc coins from 2007 had a far smaller run than the steel ones and the split for 2009 is lopsided too. The last year, 2012, has two short runs, which gives the final cent a little extra appeal. Keep any bright uncirculated pieces separate, since those are what collectors want.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 1 cent |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 2007 |
| Circulation mintage | 9,625,000 |
| Composition | Copper-plated zinc (98.4% zinc, 1.6% copper plating) |
| Weight | 2.25 g |
| Diameter | 19.05 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
Other 2007 Canadian pennies
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 Magnetic Canadian Penny | 938,270,000 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2007 non-magnetic Canadian cent rare?
It is the scarce version of 2007, with 9,625,000 struck against 938,270,000 steel cents. It is the lowest cent mintage since 1936, though worn coins are still close to face value.
How can you tell if a 2007 cent is non-magnetic?
Hold a strong magnet to it. The common steel version sticks, while the zinc version does not react. You can also weigh it: the zinc coin is 2.25 g and the steel coin 2.35 g.
Mintage figures: Penny (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.