War over a pig.

So here we have the Canadian penny, nominal - 1. The year of issue of this coin is 1857. Total circulation – 1,500.000.

On June 15, 1859, exactly 13 years after the adoption of the Oregon Treaty, the ambiguity led to direct conflict. Lyman Cutlar, an American farmer who had moved onto San Juan Island claiming rights to live there under the Donation Land Claim Act, found a pig rooting in his garden and eating his tubers.

This was not the first occurrence and as a result Cutlar shot the pig, killing it. It turned out that the pig was owned by an Irishman, Charles Griffin, who was employed by the Hudson's Bay Company to run the sheep ranch on the island. He also owned several pigs that he allowed to roam freely.

The two had lived in peace until this incident. Cutlar offered $10 (equivalent to $300 in today) to Griffin to compensate for the pig, but Griffin was unsatisfied with this offer and demanded $100 (equivalent to $3,000 in today). Following this reply, Cutlar believed he should not have to pay for the pig because the pig had been trespassing on his land. When British authorities threatened to arrest Cutlar, American settlers called for military protection.