24 Canada 12 sided 1960 Nickels

Canadian 12-sided nickels were a temporary wartime measure introduced in 1942 to distinguish them from the one-cent coin during World War II. Due to the high demand for nickel in the war effort, the coins were initially made of a copper-zinc alloy called tombac, and later of chromium-plated steel, both of which had a reddish or silvery-blue tinge that could be confused with the copper penny. The 12-sided shape was adopted to make them easily distinguishable from the round one-cent coins. The shape was retained even after the coins returned to being made of nickel in 1946, but was discontinued in 1963 when the coins returned to their original round shape.