1870 LCW Canadian 50 Cent Coin
The 1870 LCW Canadian 50 Cent is a Canadian 50 cent coin struck for circulation with 450,000 made. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1870
- Circulation mintage
- 450,000
- Value band
- Small premium
- Composition
- Sterling silver (92.5% silver)
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is an 1870 LCW Canadian 50 Cent worth?
At 450,000, the 1870 LCW Canadian 50 Cent has a smaller run than most Canadian 50 cent coins, so collectors pay a small premium for it, especially in uncirculated condition. Well circulated examples sit close to face value.
What would make yours worth more:
- Sharp detail with original luster
- A recognized variety for the date
- Professional grading for a key date
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 1870 LCW Canadian 50 Cent rare?
- It is scarcer than most Canadian 50 cent coins. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many 1870 LCW Canadian 50 cent coins were made?
- 450,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1870 LCW Canadian 50 Cent made of?
- Sterling silver (92.5% silver). It weighs 11.62 g and measures 29.72 mm.
- Is the 1870 LCW Canadian 50 Cent still legal tender?
- Yes. Canadian 50 cent coins are legal tender, but a silver one is worth more for its metal than its face value.
The 1870 50 cent coin in context
Leonard Charles Wyon was the engraver at the Royal Mint in London who modeled Victoria's portrait for Canada's first silver coins. On the 1870 50 cent piece his initials, L.C.W., appear in tiny letters on the truncation of the bust. They were not there on the very first dies, which gives collectors two 1870 types to find. The initialed version is the one most people see, since it is the more available of the pair. Wyon came from a famous family of engravers at the Royal Mint.
The year itself matters more than the variety for most owners. These coins were Canada's answer to a flood of discounted American silver after Confederation, struck in London because Canada had no mint until 1908. The year's run of 450,000 was never matched by a later Victorian 50 cent date. Many of these coins stayed in use for generations, since silver coins were never withdrawn, so the typical survivor is worn, scratched or cleaned. Even so, a first year 50 cent piece is the coin that starts every Canadian date set.
How to recognize it
The initials L.C.W. sit in small raised letters on the truncation, the cut edge just below the queen's neck. Above them the crowned Victoria faces left inside VICTORIA DEI GRATIA REGINA CANADA. On the reverse, a wreath of maple leaves tied at the base and topped by a crown surrounds 50 CENTS and 1870. Weight is 11.62 g of sterling silver, close to 0.35 troy ounces of pure silver. No mint mark was used. On a worn coin the initials may show only as faint bumps, so tilt it under a light to read them. The coin measures about 29.7 mm across and its edge is reeded.
1870 LCW Canadian 50 Cent by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 1870 LCW Canadian 50 Cent ranks 58th lowest of 125 Canadian 50 cent dates and varieties from 1870 to 2022. The next scarcer is the 1870 Canadian 50 Cent (450,000); the next more common is the 1996 Canadian 50 Cent (458,000).
For scale, the most common is the 2002 P Golden Jubilee Canadian 50 Cent with 14.4 million, about 32 times as many. The scarcest is the 1932 Canadian 50 Cent with 19,213, 23 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1870 output was 2.3 times the 1871 figure. Other 1870 50 cent coins: 1870 Canadian 50 Cent.
Over the 1870s the Mint produced 1.23 million 50 cent coins across 5 dates and varieties; the 1870 LCW Canadian 50 Cent accounts for 37% of that.
What to check on your 1870 LCW Canadian 50 Cent
- Check the date first: silver Canadian 50 cent coins carry dates from 1870 to 1967; this one has 0.3456 troy oz. Silver coins are not magnetic and ring clearly when dropped on a hard surface.
- Confirm the variety: designer initials LCW. Use a magnifier and compare with a reference picture before you assume you have the scarcer one.
- Never clean it. Rubbing or polishing leaves fine scratches that collectors spot at once and that cut the value of silver dates sharply.
- Look at the high points of the portrait and the design. Wear there sets the grade. The grade in turn drives the value of older 50 cent coins.
The LCW type is the easier of the two 1870s, but easier is relative and every example carries a collector premium. Large Victorian silver was often holed or mounted as jewelry, so check the rim and the field near the edge for plugs, solder marks or smoothing. Cleaning leaves fine hairline scratches and an unnatural shine. An honest worn coin with even gray tone is preferred to a polished one with more detail. Once the initials are confirmed, the grade drives interest far more than the variety does.
Victoria sterling 50 cents (1870 to 1901)
Canada's 50 cent piece begins in 1870, three years after Confederation, as the largest coin in the Dominion's first set of silver. American silver was circulating at a discount at the time, so the government shipped much of it out of the country and ordered its own 5, 10, 25 and 50 cent coins. Canada had no mint, so the work went to England. London struck most dates, while the private Heaton mint in Birmingham filled some orders and marked its coins with a small H. The obverse carries Leonard Charles Wyon's crowned portrait of Victoria inside VICTORIA DEI GRATIA REGINA CANADA. The reverse puts 50 CENTS and the date inside a maple wreath with a crown above.
Each coin is sterling silver, 92.5 percent pure, weighing 11.62 g and measuring about 29.7 mm. That works out to roughly 0.35 troy ounces of pure silver, a heavy coin for a pocket. Orders were small and irregular. Only thirteen date and mint combinations exist for the whole reign, with long gaps such as 1873 to 1880 and 1882 to 1887 when no 50 cents were struck at all. Published mintages run from 450,000 for 1870 down to 20,000 for 1890-H, with 1894 and 1871-H also below 50,000.
By modern standards every Victorian 50 cent piece is scarce and nearly all of them carry a collector premium, even when worn smooth. Read the date first, then check the bottom of the reverse for an H. The keys are 1890-H, 1894 and 1871-H, with 1888 and 1899 not far behind. Most survivors circulated for decades, so clear hair strands and visible leaf veins are rare at any date. On a key date, study the digits under magnification, because altered dates and copies exist.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1870 |
| Circulation mintage | 450,000 |
| Composition | Sterling silver (92.5% silver) |
| Weight | 11.62 g |
| Diameter | 29.72 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Other 1870 Canadian 50 cent coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 Canadian 50 Cent Coin | 450,000 | Small premium |
Frequently asked questions
What does LCW stand for on the 1870 50 cents?
LCW stands for Leonard Charles Wyon, the Royal Mint engraver who modeled the portrait of Victoria used on Canada's early silver coins. His initials sit on the truncation of the bust on most 1870 coins.
Is the 1870 LCW 50 cent piece rare?
It is the more available of the two 1870 types, but any Victorian 50 cent piece is scarce today. Expect a collector premium even for a worn example, with much more interest in coins showing clear hair and leaf detail.
Mintage figures: 50-cent piece (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.