Realcent.org

So I'm going thru my pennies with a powerful magnet (my kids) to take out the stainless from Canada as they jam up the coin counter at my local dump bank. This is after I tried to separate them out using my Ryedale. At first it worked, then on a different lot (I had changed the coin in the slot) is wasn't working any more. I figured it was a sensitivity issue.

Low and behold, the magnet isn't pulling a bunch of the contemporary Canadian pennies. So now I figure, the Canadians didn't make all their newer pennies out of stainless, only some of them?? Are the others zinc? And here I thought they were all Stainless, Dur. And my Ryedale actually works really really good?

Anyone want to give me the straight skinny on this? I feel like such a noob . . . again.
Thanx in advance.

They could be zinc or steel. So what you thought to be stainless was most likely zinc.

From--http://www.mint.ca/store/mint/learn/1-cent-5300004#1_1
2000 - present*
Composition: 94% steel, 1.5% nickel, 4.5% copper plating
Weight (g): 2.35
Diameter (mm): 19.05
Thickness (mm): 1.45

*Note: Since 2000, the 1-cent coin can be produced using either the copper-plated steel or copper-plated zinc compositions.

Yes here is a site i use. It can get confusing to try and explain.

http://www.coincommunity.com/canadian_s ... eth_ii.asp

I personally have possesion of:

Steel core 2002-2009 & 2011-2012
Zinc core 2001-2006 & 2009-2012

Basically I'm saving those until I get a roll of each, some the roll is mostly full
some I only have 1 or 2 of. Once I'm done that Ill just return to sorting by
composition for the rest. (I still hadn't gone through all the ones I picked up
before the banks stopped distributing them in Feb. and I have a credit union
that will let me buy whatever they get from people each week)

I seem to recall reading somewhere that some steel core were made in 2001
but I haven't found one yet so they must be somewhat scarce. Also no 2007
Zinc, 2008 Zinc, or 2010 steel yet so those must also be uncommon.