This is probably old news to many, but I became aware of it only recently. In the middle of World War 2, in 1943, the Government of Canada issued its yearly minting of Canadian coins. The 5 cent piece had always been made of nickel. (That's why it's called a "nickel") However, because so much metal was going into the war effort, it was not possible to use nickel that year. Instead they used a mixture of metals (I think it was brass and copper) called "tombac". As well, instead of the familiar Canadian Beaver on the back side of King George VI, they used a victory torch and the "V-for-Victory". "V", of course, is also the Roman numeral for the number "5" as in "5-cent-piece." Here's where it gets interesting. The government was doing everything to encourage people to get involved in the war effort. So, when the minted the coin, they included a message in MORSE CODE, around the edge. Look at the edging on the attached coin, which I scanned and you will see dots and dashes. It's difficult to see on this scanning, but under a strong magnifying glass the message becomes quite clear.
It reads: I thought you might find it interesting that Morse Code was used on Canadian coinage. 73 and best wishes for
the holidays.
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