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118-618: By the early 1700s, the maple leaf had been adopted as an emblem by the French Canadians along the Saint Lawrence River . Its popularity with French Canadians continued and was reinforced when, at the inaugural meeting of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society in 1834, the maple leaf was one of numerous emblems proposed to represent the society. Speaking in its favour, Jacques Viger , the first mayor of Montreal , described

236-487: A subsistence agriculture in Eastern Canada (Québec). This subsistence agriculture slowly evolved in dairy farm during the end of the 19th century and the beginning of 20th century while retaining the subsistence side. By 1960, agriculture changed toward an industrial agriculture. French Canadians have selectively bred distinct livestock over the centuries, including cattle , horses and chickens . In English usage,

354-715: A "rupture" between the Québécois and other francophones elsewhere in Canada. The emphasis on the French language and Quebec autonomy means that French speakers across Canada may now self-identify as québécois(e) , acadien(ne) , or Franco-canadien(ne) , or as provincial linguistic minorities such as Franco-manitobain(e) , Franco-ontarien(ne) or fransaskois(e) . Education, health and social services are provided by provincial institutions, so that provincial identities are often used to identify French-language institutions: Acadians residing in

472-656: A "shilling" and twenty shillings a "pound": consistent with e.g. France. Debasement of coin was widespread. There were periods of significant debasement in 1340–60 and 1417–29, when no small coins were minted, and by the 15th century the issuance of small coin was further restricted by government restrictions and even prohibitions. With the exception of the Great Debasement , England's coins were consistently minted from sterling silver (silver content of 92.5%). A lower quality of silver with more copper mixed in, used in Barcelona,

590-786: A French-speaker, though today it is used in French to describe any Canadian citizen. In the United States, many cities were founded as colonial outposts of New France by French or French-Canadian explorers. They include Mobile (Alabama) , Coeur d'Alene (Idaho) , Vincennes (Indiana) , Belleville (Illinois) , Bourbonnais (Illinois) , Prairie du Rocher (Illinois) , Dubuque (Iowa) , Baton Rouge (Louisiana) , New Orleans (Louisiana) , Detroit (Michigan) , Biloxi (Mississippi) , Creve Coeur (Missouri) , St. Louis (Missouri) , Pittsburgh (Fort Duquesne, Pennsylvania) , Provo (Utah) , Green Bay (Wisconsin) , La Crosse (Wisconsin) , Milwaukee (Wisconsin) or Prairie du Chien (Wisconsin) . The majority of

708-718: A chronology that would leave out the contribution of the Greeks of Magna Graecia and attribute to the Etruscans the burden of introducing the coin in Italy. In this work, constant reference is made to classical sources, and credit is given to the origin of the Etruscan Lydia, a source supported by Herodotus, and also to the invention of coin in Lydia. Charlemagne , in 800 AD, implemented a series of reforms upon becoming " Holy Roman Emperor ", including

826-570: A day's subsistence, would have been too valuable for buying a loaf of bread. Maybe the first coins to be used for retailing on a large-scale basis were likely small silver fractions, Hemiobol, Ancient Greek coinage minted by the Ionian Greeks in the late sixth century BC. In contrast Herodotus mentioned the innovation made by the Lydians: So far as we have any knowledge, they [the Lydians] were

944-508: A general publication, including the Etruscan coinage, attributing it the beginning to c.  560 BC in Populonia , a chronology that would leave out the contribution of the Greeks of Magna Graecia and attribute to the Etruscans the burden of introducing the coin in Italy. In this work, constant reference is made to classical sources, and credit is given to the origin of the Etruscan Lydia,

1062-536: A green maple leaf. The Italian city of Campobasso was known as "Canada City" or in a minor way "Maple Leaf City", since during the Second World War , Canadian troops invaded the city and freed it from the Germans. Moreover, the city has a huge variety of maples which can be found even in the streets. The U.S. city of Carthage, Missouri , is nicknamed "America's Maple Leaf City." The city of Chehalis, Washington ,

1180-641: A hero in a stereotypical manner, showing a bust or the full body but never an actual portrait, on their Sigloi and Daric coinage from c. 500 BC. A slightly earlier candidate for the first portrait-coin is Themistocles the Athenian general, who became a Governor of Magnesia on the Meander , c. 465–459 BC, for the Achaemenid Empire, although there is some question as to whether his coins may have represented Zeus rather than himself. Themistocles may have been in

1298-536: A highly stylized eleven-pointed maple leaf, referring to no specific species of maple. Earlier official uses of a maple leaf design often used more than 30 points and a short stem. The one chosen is a generic maple leaf representing the ten species of maple tree native to Canada – at least one of these species grows natively in every province. The maple leaf is used on the Canadian flag and by the Federal Government as

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1416-547: A language influenced by French, and a mixture of other European and Native American tribal languages. French Canadians living in Canada express their cultural identity using a number of terms. The Ethnic Diversity Survey of the 2006 Canadian census found that French-speaking Canadians identified their ethnicity most often as French , French Canadians, Québécois , and Acadian . The latter three were grouped together by Jantzen (2006) as "French New World" ancestries because they originate in Canada. Jantzen (2006) distinguishes

1534-437: A legend. The most ancient inscribed coin known is from nearby Caria . This coin has a Greek legend reading phaenos emi sema interpreted variously as "I am the badge of Phanes", or "I am the sign of light". The Phanes coins are among the earliest of Greek coins; a hemihekte of the issue was found in the foundation deposit of the temple of Artemis at Ephesos (the oldest deposit of electrum coins discovered). One assumption

1652-402: A little tin, zinc and especially nickel for their anti-corrosive, ductile and anti-fouling properties. Most coins presently are made of a base metal , and their value comes from their status as fiat money . This means that the value of the coin is established by law, and thus is determined by the free market only in as much as national currencies are used in domestic trade and also traded in

1770-494: A personification and identifier on its websites, as part of the government's wordmark . The maple leaf is also used in logos of various Canadian-based companies (including Canadian subsidiaries of foreign companies and small local businesses) and the logos of Canadian sports teams. Examples include Air Canada , General Motors Canada , the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets National Hockey League (NHL) franchises,

1888-531: A result, people of French Canadian descent can be found across North America. Between 1840 and 1930, many French Canadians emigrated to New England , an event known as the Grande Hémorragie . French Canadians get their name from the French colony of Canada , the most developed and densely populated region of New France during the period of French colonization in the 17th and 18th centuries. The original use of

2006-506: A result, their identification with their ethnicity is weaker: for example, only 50% of third generation "Canadians" strongly identify as such, bringing down the overall average. The survey report notes that 80% of Canadians whose families had been in Canada for three or more generations reported "Canadian and provincial or regional ethnic identities". These identities include French New World ancestries such as "Québécois" (37% of Quebec population) and Acadian (6% of Atlantic provinces). Since

2124-407: A source supported by Herodotus, and also to the invention of coin in Lydia. Although many of the first coins illustrated the images of various gods, the first portraiture of actual rulers appears with the coinage of Lycia in the 5th century BC. No ruler had dared illustrating his own portrait on coinage until that time. The Achaemenids had been the first to illustrate the person of their king or

2242-458: A strong sense of belonging. The generational profile and strength of identity of French New World ancestries contrast with those of British or Canadian ancestries, which represent the largest ethnic identities in Canada. Although deeply rooted Canadians express a deep attachment to their ethnic identity, most English-speaking Canadians of British or Canadian ancestry generally cannot trace their ancestry as far back in Canada as French speakers. As

2360-507: A unique position in which he could transfer the notion of individual portraiture , already current in the Greek world, and at the same time wield the dynastic power of an Achaemenid dynasty who could issue his own coins and illustrate them as he wished. From the time of Alexander the Great , portraiture of the issuing ruler would then become a standard, generalized, feature of coinage. The Karshapana

2478-653: A while, the copper in US pennies was worth more than one cent, so people would hoard pennies and then melt them down for their metal value. It cost more than face value to manufacture pennies or nickels, so any widespread loss of the coins in circulation could be expensive for the US Treasury . This was more of a problem when coins were still made of precious metals like silver and gold, so strict laws against alteration make more sense historically. 31 CFR § 82.2(b) goes on to state that: "The prohibition contained in § 82.1 against

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2596-475: Is a list of the main genealogical works retracing the origins of French Canadian families: Coin A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender . They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by a government . Coins often have images, numerals, or text on them. The faces of coins or medals are sometimes called

2714-872: Is also influenced to some extent by those factors, but is largely based on the value of their gold, silver, or platinum content. Sometimes non-monetized bullion coins such as the Canadian Maple Leaf and the American Gold Eagle are minted with nominal face values less than the value of the metal in them, but as such coins are never intended for circulation, these face values have no relevance. Collector catalogs often include information about coins to assists collectors with identifying and grading. Additional resources can be found online for collectors These are collector clubs, collection management tools, marketplaces, trading platforms, and forums, Coins can be used as creative media of expression – from fine art sculpture to

2832-492: Is considered a certification mark on product labels in Canada, equivalent to " Product of Canada " which requires 98% of the total direct costs of the product to be incurred in Canada. Since 1979, the Royal Canadian Mint has produced gold , silver , platinum , and palladium bullion coins , which are officially known as Maple Leafs , as geometric maple leaves are stamped on them. The Trans Canada Highway uses

2950-556: Is established by law. In the last hundred years, the face value of circulated coins has occasionally been lower than the value of the metal they contain, primarily due to inflation . If the difference becomes significant, the issuing authority may decide to withdraw these coins from circulation, possibly issuing new equivalents with a different composition, or the public may decide to melt the coins down or hoard them (see Gresham's law ). Currently coins are used as money in everyday transactions, circulating alongside banknotes . Usually,

3068-543: Is estimated to be home to between 32 and 36 regional French accents, 17 of which can be found in Quebec, and 7 of which are found in New Brunswick. There are also people who will naturally speak using Québécois Standard or Joual which are considered sociolects . There are about seven million French Canadians and native French speakers in Quebec. Another one million French-speaking French Canadians are distributed throughout

3186-480: Is evident that some were official state issues. The earliest inscribed coins are those of Phanes , dated to 625–600 BC from Ephesus in Ionia , with the legend ΦΑΕΝΟΣ ΕΜΙ ΣHΜΑ (or similar) ("I am the badge/sign/mark of Phanes/light") or just bearing the name ΦΑΝΕΟΣ ("of Phanes"). The first electrum coins issued by a monarch are those minted by king Alyattes of Lydia (died c.  560 BC ), for which reason this king

3304-453: Is indicative of the French immigration to the area. They came to identify as Franco-American , especially those who were born American. Distinctions between French Canadian, natives of France, and other New World French identities is more blurred in the U.S. than in Canada, but those who identify as French Canadian or Franco American generally do not regard themselves as French. Rather, they identify culturally, historically, and ethnically with

3422-452: Is necessary to refer to Canadians of French-Canadian heritage collectively, such as in the name and mandate of national organizations which serve francophone communities across Canada. Francophone Canadians of non-French-Canadian origin such as immigrants from francophone countries are not usually designated by the term "French Canadian"; the more general term "francophones" is used for French-speaking Canadians across all ethnic origins. Below

3540-441: Is not the province in which they currently reside; for example, a Québécois who moved to Manitoba would not normally change their own self-identification to Franco-Manitoban. Increasingly, provincial labels are used to stress the linguistic and cultural, as opposed to ethnic and religious, nature of French-speaking institutions and organizations. The term "French Canadian" is still used in historical and cultural contexts, or when it

3658-484: Is sometimes mentioned as the originator of coinage. The successor of Alyattes, king Croesus (r. c. 560–546 BC), became associated with great wealth in Greek historiography. He is credited with issuing the Croeseid , the first true gold coins with a standardized purity for general circulation. and the world's first bimetallic monetary system c. 550 BC. Coins spread rapidly in the 6th and 5th centuries BC, leading to

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3776-562: Is that Phanes was a mercenary mentioned by Herodotus, another that this coin is associated with the primeval god Phanes or "Phanes" might have been an epithet of the local goddess identified with Artemis. Barclay V. Head found these suggestions unlikely and thought it more probably "the name of some prominent citizen of Ephesus". Another candidate for the site of the earliest coins is Aegina , where Chelone ("turtle") coins were first minted c. 700 BC. Coins from Athens and Corinth appeared shortly thereafter, known to exist at least since

3894-745: Is the earliest punch-marked coin found in India, produced from at least the mid-4th century BC, and possibly as early as 575 BC, influenced by similar coins produced in Gandhara under the Achaemenid empire, such as those of the Kabul hoard , or other examples found at Pushkalavati and in Bhir Mound . In China , early round coins appeared in the 4th century BC and were adopted for all China by Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di at

4012-632: The 2€ commemorative coins and U.S. America the Beautiful quarters . Early metal coinage came into use about the time of the Axial Age in West Asia , in the Greek world, in northern India, and in China. Metal ingots , silver bullion or unmarked bars were probably in use for exchange among many of the civilizations that mastered metallurgy. The weight and purity of bullion would be the key determinant of value. In

4130-681: The Achaemenid Empire in the early 6th century BC, coinage was yet unknown. The barter system, as well as silver bullion were used instead for trade. The practice of using silver bars for currency also seems to have been current in Central Asia from the 6th century BC. Coins were an evolution of "currency" systems of the Late Bronze Age , when various cultures used standard-sized ingots and tokens such as knife money to store and transfer value. Phoenician metal ingots had to be stamped with

4248-487: The Austrian occupation of Genoa in 1746. Variations in the mass of precious metals used in international trade, particularly in imports of spices and textiles into Europe, explain the numerous monetary reforms that occurred in this period. The effect of these transactions on the available reserves of gold and silver was at the origin of the various monetary reforms, which changed the price of silver compared to gold. Faced with

4366-783: The British sovereign minted by the United Kingdom, the American Gold Eagle minted by the United States, the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf minted by Canada, and the Krugerrand , minted by South Africa. While the Eagle and Sovereign coins have nominal (purely symbolic) face values, the Krugerrand does not. Commemorative coins usually serve as collectors items only, although some countries also issue commemorative coins for regular circulation, such as

4484-465: The Canadian Constitution since 1982, protecting them from provincial governments that have historically been indifferent towards their presence. At the provincial level, New Brunswick formally designates French as a full official language , while other provinces vary in the level of French language services they offer. All three of Canada's territories include French as an official language of

4602-689: The First World War , badges of the Canadian Expeditionary Force were often based on a maple leaf design. In 1957, the maple leaf colour on the Canadian arms was changed from green to red – some maple leaves are commonly red even in spring as they bud and no seasonal colouring has been assigned heraldically. The maple leaf became the central national symbol with the introduction of the Canadian flag (suggested by George F. G. Stanley and sponsored by MP John Matheson ) in 1965, which uses

4720-569: The Government of Quebec refer to all Quebec citizens, regardless of their language or their cultural heritage, as Québécois. Academic analysis of French Canadian culture has often focused on the degree to which the Quiet Revolution, particularly the shift in the social and cultural identity of the Québécois following the Estates General of French Canada of 1966 to 1969, did or did not create

4838-591: The Oriental Plane ( Platanus orientalis ), a large broad leaved deciduous tree. In Estonia and Lithuania , inexperienced drivers are obliged to have a green maple leaf sign visible on the vehicle, serving a similar function that a P-plate does in some other countries. The maple leaf was also featured on the coat of arms of Sammatti , Finland . French Canadian Asia Middle East Europe North America South America Oceania French Canadians , referred to as Canadiens mainly before

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4956-606: The Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise, and the Toronto FC Major League Soccer (MLS) club. Several national chains (e.g. McDonald's Canada , Wendy's Canada) use the maple leaf in place of a possessive apostrophe in their company logo, in order to have consistent branding across the country while complying with Quebec's Official Language Act (as the French language does not use this punctuation). The maple leaf

5074-512: The U.S. Census Bureau . In Canada, 85% of French Canadians reside in Quebec where they constitute the majority of the population in all regions except the far north ( Nord-du-Québec ). Most cities and villages in this province were built and settled by the French or French Canadians during the French colonial rule . There are various urban and small centres in Canada outside Quebec that have long-standing populations of French Canadians, going back to

5192-593: The Upper Peninsula of Michigan as well as around Detroit . They also founded such cities as New Orleans and St. Louis and villages in the Mississippi Valley . French Canadians later emigrated in large numbers from Canada to the United States between the 1840s and the 1930s in search of economic opportunities in border communities and industrialized portions of New England . French-Canadian communities in

5310-583: The Venetian sequin , minted from 1284 to 1797, was the most prestigious gold coin in circulation in the commercial centers of the Mediterranean Sea . The Florentine florin was the first European gold coin struck in sufficient quantities since the 7th century to play a significant commercial role. The Florentine florin was used for larger transactions such as those used in dowries, international trade or for tax-related matters. Genoese coins became important in

5428-680: The Windsor-Detroit region and the Canadian prairies (primarily Southern Manitoba ). After the 1760 British conquest of New France in the French and Indian War (known as the Seven Years' War in Canada), the French-Canadian population remained important in the life of the colonies. The British gained Acadia by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. It took the 1774 Quebec Act for French Canadians to regain

5546-481: The obverse and the reverse , referring to the front and back sides, respectively. The obverse of a coin is commonly called heads , because it often depicts the head of a prominent person, and the reverse is known as tails . The first metal coins – invented in the ancient Greek world and disseminated during the Hellenistic period – were precious metal –based, and were invented in order to simplify and regularize

5664-418: The siege of Pavia in 1524. Auxiliary coins consisted, among the Greeks and Romans as in our modern societies, of coins strongly linked to copper. In particular, the red copper alloy was used for its physical properties, suitable for objects constantly subjected to manipulation: malleability, resistance to impacts, wear and corrosion (only gold has better resistance to corrosion). This alloy was often mixed with

5782-684: The 16th century during the Golden age of Genoese banking , with the Spanish Empire funnelling its massive wealth from Spanish America through the Bank of Saint George . With the decline in the fortunes of the Genoese banks and the Spanish Empire in the 17th century, however, the Genoese lira also depreciated substantially. The silver scudo's value increased to 6.5 lire in 1646, 7.4 lire in 1671, and 8.74 lire just before

5900-526: The 1840s and the 1930s, some 900,000 French Canadians immigrated to the New England region. About half of them returned home. The generations born in the United States would eventually come to see themselves as Franco-Americans . During the same period of time, numerous French Canadians also migrated and settled in Eastern and Northern Ontario . The descendants of those Quebec inter-provincial migrants constitute

6018-448: The 1960s, French Canadians in Quebec have generally used Québécois (masculine) or Québécoise (feminine) to express their cultural and national identity, rather than Canadien français and Canadienne française . Francophones who self-identify as Québécois and do not have French-Canadian ancestry may not identify as "French Canadian" ( Canadien or Canadien français ), though the term "French Canadian" may by extension refer to natives of

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6136-650: The 1960s, religion was a central component of French-Canadian national identity. The Church parish was the focal point of civic life in French-Canadian society, and religious orders ran French-Canadian schools, hospitals and orphanages and were very influential in everyday life in general. During the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s, however, the practice of Catholicism dropped drastically. Church attendance in Quebec currently remains low. Rates of religious observance among French Canadians outside Quebec tend to vary by region, and by age. In general, however, those in Quebec are

6254-459: The 5th and 4th centuries BC. The deposit of the hoard is dated to the Achaemenid period, in approximately 380 BC. The hoard also contained many locally produced silver coins, minted by local authorities under Achaemenid rule. Several of these issues follow the "western designs" of the facing bull heads, a stag, or Persian column capitals on the obverse, and incuse punch on the reverse. According to numismatist Joe Cribb , these finds suggest that

6372-455: The Acadians or the Québécois, or considered a distinct group in their own right, by different sources. French Canadians outside Quebec are more likely to self-identify as "French Canadian". Identification with provincial groupings varies from province to province, with Franco-Ontarians, for example, using their provincial label far more frequently than Franco-Columbians do. Few identify only with

6490-511: The Dominion of Canada, and from that time forward, the word "Canadian" has been used to describe both English-speaking and French-speaking citizens, wherever they live in the country. Those reporting "French New World" ancestries overwhelmingly had ancestors that went back at least four generations in Canada. Fourth generation Canadiens and Québécois showed considerable attachment to their ethno-cultural group, with 70% and 61%, respectively, reporting

6608-737: The English Canadian , meaning "someone whose family has been in Canada for multiple generations", and the French Canadien , used to refer to descendants of the original settlers of New France in the 17th and 18th centuries. "Canadien" was used to refer to the French-speaking residents of New France beginning in the last half of the 17th century. The English-speaking residents who arrived later from Great Britain were called "Anglais". This usage continued until Canadian Confederation in 1867. Confederation united several former British colonies into

6726-598: The Ephesian Artemision (which would later evolve into one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World ). This was the site of the earliest known deposit of electrum coins. Anatolian Artemis was the Πότνια Θηρῶν ( Potnia Thêrôn , "Mistress of Animals"), whose symbol was the stag . It took some time before ancient coins were used for commerce and trade . Even the smallest-denomination electrum coins, perhaps worth about

6844-518: The French civil law system, and in 1791 French Canadians in Lower Canada were introduced to the parliamentary system when an elected Legislative Assembly was created. The Legislative Assembly having no real power, the political situation degenerated into the Lower Canada Rebellions of 1837–1838, after which Lower Canada and Upper Canada were unified. Some of the motivations for the union

6962-425: The French to refer to the First Nations they had encountered in the St. Lawrence River valley at Stadacona and Hochelaga , though First Nations groups did not refer to themselves as Canadien . At the end of the 17th century, Canadien became an ethnonym distinguishing the French inhabitants of Canada from those of France. At the end of the 18th century, to distinguish between the English-speaking population and

7080-616: The French-Canadian population in the United States is found in the New England area, although there is also a large French-Canadian presence in Plattsburgh, New York , across Lake Champlain from Burlington, Vermont . Quebec and Acadian emigrants settled in industrial cities like Fitchburg , Leominster , Lynn , Worcester , Haverhill , Waltham , Lowell , Gardner , Lawrence , Chicopee , Somerset , Fall River , and New Bedford in Massachusetts ; Woonsocket in Rhode Island ; Manchester and Nashua in New Hampshire ; Bristol , Hartford , and East Hartford in Connecticut ; throughout

7198-401: The French-speaking population, the terms English Canadian and French Canadian emerged. During the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s to 1980s, inhabitants of Quebec began to identify as Québécois instead of simply French Canadian. French settlers from Normandy , Perche , Beauce , Brittany , Maine , Anjou , Touraine , Poitou , Aunis , Angoumois , Saintonge , and Gascony were

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7316-434: The Greek city states of the classical period, their coins tended to be more mass-produced, as well as larger, and more frequently in gold. They often lacked the aesthetic delicacy of coins of the earlier period. Still, some of the Greco-Bactrian coins, and those of their successors in India, the Indo-Greeks , are considered the finest examples of Greek numismatic art with "a nice blend of realism and idealization", including

7434-419: The Greek word for rose is rhodon . The use of inscriptions on coins also began, usually the name of the issuing city. The wealthy cities of Sicily produced some especially fine coins. The large silver decadrachm (10-drachm) coin from Syracuse is regarded by many collectors as the finest coin produced in the ancient world, perhaps ever. Syracusan issues were rather standard in their imprints, one side bearing

7552-413: The Lydian coinage as such, and continued to strike Lydia's lion-and-bull coinage. Original coins of the Achaemenid Empire were issued from 520 BC – 450 BC to 330 BC. The Persian Daric was the first truly Achaemenid gold coin which, along with a similar silver coin, the Siglos , represented the bimetallic monetary standard of the Achaemenid Persian Empire . The Achaemenid Empire already reached

7670-484: The Mediterranean and soon after to North Africa (including Egypt), Syria, Persia, and the Balkans. Coins came late to the Roman Republic compared with the rest of the Mediterranean , especially Greece and Asia Minor where coins were invented in the 7th century BC. The currency of central Italy was influenced by its natural resources, with bronze being abundant (the Etruscans were famous metal workers in bronze and iron) and silver ore being scarce. The coinage of

7788-404: The Mexican Mint was established on May 11, 1535, by order of the Spanish king following the Spanish colonization of the Americas . Opened in April 1536, this mint had the right to mint silver Spanish real which became the basis of the monetary system of the Spanish Empire . Louis XIII had the Louis d'or minted in 1640 to compete with these coins. The first attested siege coins appeared at

7906-438: The Persian Empire after 546 BC, following his conquest of Lydia and the defeat of its king Croesus , who had put in place the first coinage in history. With his conquest of Lydia, Cyrus acquired a region in which coinage was invented, developed through advanced metallurgy, and had already been in circulation for about 50 years, making the Lydian Kingdom one of the leading trade powers of the time. It seems Cyrus initially adopted

8024-423: The Roman Republic started with a few silver coins apparently devised for trade with Celtic in northern Italy and the Greek colonies in Southern Italy, and heavy cast bronze pieces for use in Central Italy. The first Roman coins , which were crude, heavy cast bronzes, were issued c. 289 BC. Amisano, in a general publication, including the Etruscan coinage, attributing it the beginning to about 550 BC in Populonia ,

8142-403: The United States remain along the Quebec border in Maine , Vermont , and New Hampshire , as well as further south in Massachusetts , Rhode Island , and Connecticut . There is also a significant community of French Canadians in South Florida , particularly Hollywood, Florida , especially during the winter months. The wealth of Catholic churches named after St. Louis throughout New England

8260-435: The Zhou coins are divided up into categories of knives, spades, and round coins, it is apparent from archaeological finds that most of the various kinds circulated together. A hoard found in 1981, near Hebi in north Henan province, consisted of: 3,537 Gong spades, 3 Anyi arched foot spades, 8 Liang Dang Lie spades, 18 Liang square foot spades and 1,180 Yuan round coins, all contained in three clay jars. The Hellenistic period

8378-546: The amount of copper in each penny. Since mid-1982, United States pennies are made of 97.5% zinc, with the remaining 2.5% being a coating of copper. Extreme differences between face values and metal values of coins cause coins to be hoarded or removed from circulation by illicit smelters in order to realize the value of their metal content. This is an example of Gresham's law . The United States Mint , in an attempt to avoid this, implemented new interim rules on December 14, 2006, subject to public comment for 30 days, which criminalized

8496-711: The ancient city Guanzhuang in Henan province in China . The factory produced shovel-shaped bronze coins between 640 B.C. and 550 B.C., making it the oldest securely-dated minting-site. The earliest coins are mostly associated with Iron Age Anatolia of the late 7th century BC, and especially with the kingdom of Lydia . Early electrum coins (an alluvial alloy of gold and silver, varying wildly in proportion, and usually about 40–55% gold) were not standardized in weight, and in their earliest stage may have been ritual objects, such as badges or medals, issued by priests. The unpredictability of

8614-485: The bulk of today's Franco-Ontarian community. Since 1968, French has been one of Canada's two official languages. It is the sole official language of Quebec and one of the official languages of New Brunswick , Yukon , the Northwest Territories , and Nunavut . The province of Ontario has no official languages defined in law, although the provincial government provides French language services in many parts of

8732-484: The composition of naturally occurring electrum implied that it had a variable value, which greatly hampered its development. Most of the early Lydian coins include no writing ("myth" or "inscription"), only an image of a symbolic animal. Therefore, the dating of these coins relies primarily on archaeological evidence, with the most commonly cited evidence coming from excavations at the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus , also called

8850-561: The culture that originated in Quebec that is differentiated from French culture. In L'Avenir du français aux États-Unis , Calvin Veltman and Benoît Lacroix found that since the French language has been so widely abandoned in the United States, the term "French Canadian" has taken on an ethnic rather than linguistic meaning. French Canadian identities are influenced by historical events that inform regional cultures. For example, in New England,

8968-550: The descendants of the King's Daughters ( Filles du Roi ) of this era. A few also are the descendants of mixed French and Algonquian marriages (see also Metis people and Acadian people ). During the mid-18th century, French explorers and Canadiens born in French Canada colonized other parts of North America in what are today the states of Louisiana , Mississippi , Missouri , Illinois , Vincennes, Indiana , Louisville, Kentucky ,

9086-424: The development of Ancient Greek coinage and Achaemenid coinage , and further to Illyrian coinage . When Cyrus the Great (550–530 BC) came to power, coinage was unfamiliar in his realm. Barter and to some extent silver bullion was used instead for trade. The practice of using silver bars for currency also seems to have been current in Central Asia from the 6th century. Cyrus the Great introduced coins to

9204-460: The distinct monetary systems developed by Genoa , Venice or Florence , the widespread use in the 15th century of the silver thaler , of constant size and mass, allowed conversion operations to be limited and therefore exchanges facilitated. The thaler was the monetary unit of the Germanic countries until the 19th century and is considered the ancestor of the United States dollar . At the same time,

9322-587: The doors of India during the original expansion of Cyrus the Great , and the Achaemenid conquest of the Indus Valley is dated to c. 515 BC under Darius I . An Achaemenid administration was established in the area. The Kabul hoard , also called the Chaman Hazouri hoard, is a coin hoard discovered in the vicinity of Kabul , Afghanistan , containing numerous Achaemenid coins as well as many Greek coins from

9440-554: The end of 3rd century BC. The round coin, the precursor of the familiar cash coin , circulated in both the spade and knife money areas in the Zhou period, from around 350 BC. Apart from two small and presumably late coins from the State of Qin, coins from the spade money area have a round hole and refer to the jin and liang units. Those from the knife money area have a square hole and are denominated in hua (化). Although for discussion purposes

9558-469: The epicenters of numismatic art during the classical period. Led by the engravers Kimon and Euainetos, Syracuse produced some of the finest coin designs of antiquity. Amongst the first centers to produce coins during the Greek colonization of Southern Italy (the so-called " Magna Graecia ") were Paestum , Crotone , Sybaris , Caulonia , Metapontum , and Taranto . These ancient cities started producing coins from 550 BC to 510 BC. Amisano, in

9676-723: The first Europeans to permanently colonize what is now Quebec , parts of Ontario, Acadia, and select areas of Western Canada, all in Canada (see French colonization of the Americas ). Their colonies of New France (also commonly called Canada) stretched across what today are the Maritime provinces , southern Quebec and Ontario , as well as the entire Mississippi River Valley. The first permanent European settlements in Canada were at Port Royal in 1605 and Quebec City in 1608 as fur trading posts . The territories of New France were Canada , Acadia (later renamed Nova Scotia ), and Louisiana ;

9794-452: The first people to introduce the use of gold and silver coins, and the first who sold goods by retail. And both Aristotle (fr. 611,37, ed. V. Rose) and Pollux (Onamastikon IX.83), mention that the first issuer of coinage was Hermodike/Demodike of Cyme . Cyme was a city in Aeolia , nearby Lydia. Another example of local pride is the dispute about coinage, whether the first one to strike it

9912-456: The head of the nymph Arethusa and the other usually a victorious quadriga . The tyrants of Syracuse were fabulously rich, and part of their public relations policy was to fund quadrigas for the Olympic chariot race , a very expensive undertaking. As they were often able to finance more than one quadriga at a time, they were frequent victors in this highly prestigious event. Syracuse was one of

10030-577: The highest value coin in circulation (excluding bullion coins ) is worth less than the lowest-value note. Coins are usually more efficient than banknotes because they last longer: banknotes last only about four years, compared with 30 years for a coin. Exceptions to the rule of face value being higher than content value currently occur for bullion coins made of copper , silver , or gold (and rarely other metals, such as platinum or palladium ), intended for collectors or investors in precious metals. Examples of modern gold collector/investor coins include

10148-470: The idea of coinage and the use of punch-marked techniques was introduced to India from the Achaemenid Empire during the 4th century BC. More Achaemenid coins were also found in Pushkalavati and in Bhir Mound . According to Aristotle (fr. 611,37, ed. V. Rose) and Pollux (Onamastikon IX.83), the first issuer of Greek coinage was Hermodike of Kyme . A small percentage of early Lydian/Greek coins have

10266-435: The international market. Thus, these coins are monetary tokens , just as paper currency is: their value is usually not backed by metal, but rather by some form of government guarantee. Thus, there is very little economic difference between notes and coins of equivalent face value. Coins may be in circulation with face values lower than the value of their component metals, but they are never initially issued with such value, and

10384-506: The issuance of a standard coin, the silver penny. Between 794 and 1200 the penny was the only denomination of coin in Western Europe. Minted without oversight by bishops, cities, feudal lords and fiefdoms , by 1160, coins in Venice contained only 0.05g of silver, while England's coins were minted at 1.3g. Large coins were introduced in the mid-13th century. In England, a dozen pennies was called

10502-631: The largest coins to be minted in the Hellenistic world: the largest gold coin was minted by Eucratides (reigned 171–145 BC), the largest silver coin by the Indo-Greek king Amyntas Nikator (reigned c. 95–90 BC). The portraits "show a degree of individuality never matched by the often bland depictions of their royal contemporaries further West" (Roger Ling, "Greece and the Hellenistic World"). Coinage followed Greek colonization and influence first around

10620-648: The late 19th and 20th centuries, French Canadians' discontent grew with their place in Canada because of a series of events: including the execution of Louis Riel , the elimination of official bilingualism in Manitoba , Canada's military participation in the Second Boer War , Regulation 17 which banned French-language schools in Ontario, the Conscription Crisis of 1917 and the Conscription Crisis of 1944 . Between

10738-537: The late 19th century, due to interprovincial migration . Eastern and Northern Ontario have large populations of francophones in communities such as Ottawa , Cornwall , Hawkesbury , Sudbury , Timmins , North Bay , Timiskaming , Welland and Windsor . Many also pioneered the Canadian Prairies in the late 18th century, founding the towns of Saint Boniface, Manitoba and in Alberta 's Peace Country , including

10856-400: The late 6th century BC. The Classical period saw Greek coinage reach a high level of technical and aesthetic quality. Larger cities now produced a range of fine silver and gold coins, most bearing a portrait of their patron god or goddess or a legendary hero on one side, and a symbol of the city on the other. Some coins employed a visual pun: some coins from Rhodes featured a rose , since

10974-415: The least observant, while those in the United States of America and other places away from Quebec tend to be the most observant. People who claim some French-Canadian ancestry or heritage number some 7 million in Canada. In the United States, 2.4 million people report French-Canadian ancestry or heritage, while an additional 8.4 million claim French ancestry; they are treated as a separate ethnic group by

11092-426: The maple as "the king of our forest; ... the symbol of the Canadian people." The maple leaf slowly caught on as a national symbol. In 1868, it was included in the coat of arms of Ontario and the coat of arms of Quebec , and was added to the Canadian coat of arms in 1921. Historically, the golden maple leaf had represented Ontario, while the green maple leaf had represented Quebec. In 1867, Alexander Muir composed

11210-438: The melting and export of pennies and nickels. Violators can be fined up to $ 10,000 and/or imprisoned for up to five years. A coin's value as a collector's item or as an investment generally depends on its condition, specific historical significance, rarity, quality, beauty of the design and general popularity with collectors. If a coin is greatly lacking in all of these, it is unlikely to be worth much. The value of bullion coins

11328-650: The mid-continent Illinois Country was at first governed from Canada and then attached to Louisiana. The inhabitants of the French colony of Canada (modern-day Quebec) called themselves the Canadiens , and came mostly from northwestern France. The early inhabitants of Acadia, or Acadians ( Acadiens) , came mostly but not exclusively from the southwestern regions of France . Canadien explorers and fur traders would come to be known as coureurs des bois and voyageurs , while those who settled on farms in Canada would come to be known as habitants . Many French Canadians are

11446-519: The name of a current ruler to guarantee their worth and value, which is probably how stamping busts and designs began, although political advertising – glorification of a state or of a ruler – may also play a role. In the late Chinese Bronze Age , standardized cast tokens were made, such as those discovered in a tomb near Anyang . These were replicas in bronze of earlier Chinese currency , cowrie shells, so they were named "Bronze Shell" . The world's oldest known coin factory has been excavated in

11564-625: The nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the province of Quebec . During the 17th century, French settlers originating mainly from the west and north of France settled Canada. It is from them that the French Canadian ethnicity was born. During the 17th to 18th centuries, French Canadians expanded across North America and colonized various regions, cities, and towns. As

11682-466: The patriotic song " The Maple Leaf Forever ", which became an unofficial anthem in English-speaking Canada. From 1876 until 1901, the leaf appeared on all Canadian coins , and remained on the penny after 1901. The use of the maple leaf as a regimental symbol extended from the 1890s, and Canadian soldiers in the Second Boer War were distinguished by a maple leaf on their sun helmets. During

11800-566: The penny machines that can be found in most amusement parks. In the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) in the United States there are some regulations specific to nickels and pennies that are informative on this topic. 31 CFR § 82.1 forbids unauthorized persons from exporting, melting, or treating any 5 or 1 cent coins. This has been a particular problem with nickels and dimes (and with some comparable coins in other currencies) because of their relatively low face value and unstable commodity prices. For

11918-567: The province of Quebec or other parts of French Canada of foreign descent. Those who do have French or French-Canadian ancestry, but who support Quebec sovereignty , often find Canadien français to be archaic or even pejorative. This is a reflection of the strong social, cultural, and political ties that most Quebecers of French-Canadian origin, who constitute a majority of francophone Quebecers, maintain within Quebec. It has given Québécois an ambiguous meaning which has often played out in political issues , as all public institutions attached to

12036-539: The province under the French Language Services Act . There are many varieties of French spoken by francophone Canadians, for example Quebec French , Acadian French , Métis French , and Newfoundland French . The French spoken in Ontario, the Canadian West , and New England can trace their roots back to Quebec French because of Quebec's diaspora . Over time, many regional accents have emerged. Canada

12154-610: The provinces of New Brunswick , Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia represent a distinct ethnic French-speaking culture. This group's culture and history evolved separately from the French Canadian culture, at a time when the Maritime Provinces were not part of what was referred to as Canada, and are consequently considered a distinct culture from French Canadians. Brayons in Madawaska County , New Brunswick and Aroostook County , Maine may be identified with either

12272-557: The provincial groupings, explicitly rejecting "French Canadian" as an identity label. A population genetics ancestry study claims that for those French Canadians who trace their ancestry to the French founder population, a significant percentage, 53-78% have at least one indigenous ancestor. During the mid-18th century, French Canadian explorers and colonists colonized other parts of North America in what are today Louisiana (called Louisianais ), Mississippi , Missouri , Illinois , Wisconsin , Indiana , Ohio , far northern New York and

12390-401: The region of Grande Prairie . It is estimated that roughly 70–75% of Quebec's population descend from the French pioneers of the 17th and 18th century. The French-speaking population have massively chosen the "Canadian" (" Canadien " ) ethnic group since the government made it possible (1986), which has made the current statistics misleading. The term Canadien historically referred only to

12508-598: The relatively recent immigration (19th/20th centuries) is informed by experiences of language oppression and an identification with certain occupations, such as the mill workers. In the Great Lakes, many French Canadians also identify as Métis and trace their ancestry to the earliest voyageurs and settlers ; many also have ancestry dating to the lumber era and often a mixture of the two groups. The main Franco-American regional identities are: Traditionally, Canadiens had

12626-477: The rest of Canada. French Canadians may also speak Canadian English , especially if they live in overwhelmingly English-speaking environments. In Canada, not all those of French Canadian ancestry speak French, but the vast majority do. Francophones living in Canadian provinces other than Quebec have enjoyed minority language rights under Canadian law since the Official Languages Act of 1969, and under

12744-415: The shortfall only arises over time due to inflation , as market values for the metal overtake the face value of the coin. Examples are the pre-1965 US dime, quarter, half dollar, and dollar (containing slightly less than a tenth, quarter, half, and full ounce of silver, respectively), US nickel , and pre-1982 US penny . As a result of the increase in the value of copper , the United States greatly reduced

12862-698: The state of Vermont , particularly in Burlington , St. Albans , and Barre ; and Biddeford and Lewiston in Maine . Smaller groups of French Canadians settled in the Midwest, notably in the states of Michigan , Illinois, Wisconsin , Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Minnesota . French Canadians also settled in central North Dakota, largely in Rolette and Bottineau counties, and in South Dakota. Some Metis still speak Michif ,

12980-403: The task of measuring and weighing bullion (bulk metal) carried around for the purpose of transactions. They carried their value within the coins themselves, but the stampings also induced manipulations, such as the clipping of coins to remove some of the precious metal. Most modern coinage metals are base metal , and their value comes from their status as fiat money — the value of the coin

13098-548: The term Canada referred to the area of present-day Quebec along the St. Lawrence River , divided in three districts ( Québec , Trois-Rivières , and Montréal ), as well as to the Pays d'en Haut (Upper Countries), a vast and thinly settled territorial dependence north and west of Montreal which covered the whole of the Great Lakes area. From 1535 to the 1690s, Canadien was a word used by

13216-478: The terms for provincial subgroups, if used at all, are usually defined solely by province of residence, with all of the terms being strictly interchangeable with French Canadian. Although this remains the more common usage in English, it is considered outdated to many Canadians of French descent, especially in Quebec. Most francophone Canadians who use the provincial labels identify with their province of origin, even if it

13334-544: The territory alongside English and local indigenous languages, although in practice French-language services are normally available only in the capital cities and not across the entire territory. Catholicism is the chief denomination. The kingdom of France forbade non-Catholic settlement in New France from 1629 onward and thus, almost all French settlers of Canada were Catholic. In the United States, some families of French-Canadian origin have converted to Protestantism. Until

13452-572: Was Pheidon of Argos, or Demodike of Kyme (who was wife of Midas the Phrygian and daughter of King Agammemnon of Kyme), or Erichthonios and Lycos of Athens, or the Lydians (as Xenophanes says) or the Naxians (as Anglosthenes thought). Many early Lydian and Greek coins were minted under the authority of private individuals and are thus more akin to tokens or badges than to modern coins, though due to their numbers it

13570-616: Was called billon . The first European coin to use Arabic numerals to date the year in which the coin was minted was the St. Gall silver Plappart of 1424. Italy has been influential at a coinage point of view : the Florentine florin , one of the most used coinage types in European history and one of the most important coins in Western history, was struck in Florence in the 13th century , while

13688-522: Was characterized by the spread of Greek culture across a large part of the known world. Greek-speaking kingdoms were established in Egypt and Syria , and for a time also in Iran and as far east as what is now Afghanistan and northwestern India . Greek traders spread Greek coins across this vast area, and the new kingdoms soon began to produce their own coins. Because these kingdoms were much larger and wealthier than

13806-693: Was known as "The Maple-Leaf City". The mascot of Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana , is the Maple Leaf and the nickname for Goshen College sports teams is the Maple Leafs. It is usually taken as one of the featured symbols on the emblem of the Pakistani province of Azad Jammu and Kashmir , which is not correct. The actual featured symbol is a Chinar leaf, with Chinar being the Persian/Turkish/Urdu name for

13924-575: Was to limit French-Canadian political power and at the same time transferring a large part of the Upper Canadian debt to the debt-free Lower Canada. After many decades of British immigration, the Canadiens became a minority in the Province of Canada in the 1850s. French-Canadian contributions were essential in securing responsible government for the Canadas and in undertaking Canadian Confederation . In

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