Spy Coin Story

Do you still remember about Commemorative poppy quarter sparks distrust of Canada in the U.S In 2007? In the United States these coins were briefly reported as a possible 'spy tool' or bugging equipment by some US Defense Contractors unfamiliar with the odd-seeming coin and raised espionage warnings until the situation was clarified. Few days ago, The Associated Press under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act received an emails marked "Secret/NoForn".

In the emails, released to The AP with names blacked out but job titles disclosed, Pentagon officials question whether they should warn military officers in the U.S. Northern Command, who regularly met Canadian counterparts about classified subjects that look like spy tools inside bug-proof, government meeting rooms. The rooms are known as secure compartmentalized information facilities, or SKIFs. In January 2007, the government abruptly reversed itself and said the warnings were not true. But the case remained a mystery until months later, when AP learned that the flap had been caused by suspicions over the odd-looking Canadian "poppy" quarter with a bright red flower. The silver-coloured 25-cent piece features the red image of a poppy - Canada's flower of war remembrance - inlaid on a maple leaf.

Photo by wikipedia: Corn Poppy Flower

Papaver rhoeas (common names include corn poppy, corn rose, field poppy, Flanders poppy, red poppy, and red weed) is a species of flowering plant in the poppy family, Papaveraceae. This poppy, a native of Europe, is notable as an agricultural weed (hence the "corn" and "field") and as a symbol of fallen soldiers.In Canada, poppies are distributed by the Royal Canadian Legion and the Anavets organization each fall prior to Remembrance Day. The design of the Canadian poppy consists of petals made of red plastic with a felt lining and black centre held on by a pin.

What suspicious contractors believed to be "nanotechnology" on the coins actually was a protective coating the Royal Canadian Mint applied to prevent the poppy's red colour from rubbing off. The mint produced nearly 30 million such quarters in 2004 commemorating Canada's 117,000 war dead. The Pentagon turned over the latest emails from inside its Office of the Undersecretary for Defence for Intelligence nearly two years after The AP requested them under the Freedom of Information Act. Many of the emails were censored over what the Pentagon said was national security and personal privacy.

Source: Associated Press, Wikipedia