Canadian 50 Cent Coins: The 1921 King and Every Date Since 1870

The 1921: king of Canadian coins

After the First World War demand for half dollars fell away and the Mint was left holding stock. The coins dated 1921 were almost all melted down later in the 1920s without being released. Only about 75 to 100 are known today. It is the most famous Canadian coin and a significant rarity in any condition.

Because it is so valuable, the 1921 is a target for forgers who alter the date on other coins. A genuine one needs authentication by a recognized grading service before anyone will treat it as real.

Every Canadian 50 cent coin, 1870 to 2022

Dated 1967 and earlier: silver.

Victorian and Edwardian keys

The Dominion's first 50 cent pieces are dated 1870. Some carry the designer's initials LCW on the truncation and some do not. Mintages were tiny throughout the reign, so every Victorian date is scarce.

• 1890 H: 20,000, the lowest Victorian date
• 1894: 29,036
• 1871 H: 45,000
• 1899: 50,000
• 1888: 60,000
• 1872 H: 80,000, including a variety with an inverted A in place of the V in VICTORIA

Edward VII to George VI

Edward VII's 50 cents began in 1902. The 1905 (40,000) and 1904 (60,000) are the keys, while the 1910 comes with Victorian and Edwardian style leaves. Under George V, after the 1921, the hard dates are from the Depression: 1932 at 19,213, the lowest regular date of the century, then 1936 at 38,550, 1934 at 39,539 and 1931 at 57,581. Collecting was growing by the 1930s, so more 1932 coins were saved than the mintage might suggest.

In 1937 George VI's coins brought the Canadian coat of arms to the reverse. The 1947 maple leaf (38,433) and the 1948 (37,784) are the keys of the reign, both linked to the change in the King's titles. The 1946 hoof in 6 and the 1949 hoof over 9 are popular die varieties.

How much silver is in one?

The date tells you. From 1870 to 1919 the coin was sterling silver, 92.5%. From 1920 to 1967 it was 80% silver, including the 1967 centennial coin with its howling wolf. From 1968 the 50 cents was pure nickel and smaller, so a magnet will tell you instantly whether a worn coin is silver: silver ignores it and nickel sticks. A silver 50 cent piece is always worth at least its metal value, even when worn smooth.

Elizabeth II and the small modern mintages

The 1953 coins come with and without a shoulder fold on the Queen's portrait. The coat of arms on the reverse was redrawn in a new, modernized style from 1959. Nickel coins of the 1970s ran to two or three million a year, with the 1977 at 709,839 the odd low year. From 1987 output dropped to the hundreds of thousands, because the coin barely circulated. The lowest modern figures are 2006 (98,000), 2009 and 2010 (150,000 each), 2005 (200,000) and 1990 (207,000). The 2002 P Golden Jubilee coin, dated 1952 and 2002, was struck in far larger numbers at 14,440,000.

Why you rarely see one in change

Most Canadians go years without being handed a 50 cent piece. Shops don't keep them in their tills, so there is little demand for new ones. That is why the modern dates have such low mintages and why a bright one from the 1990s or 2000s is worth keeping. They remain legal tender if you want to spend one.

Frequently asked questions