1898 Canadian 50 Cent Coin
The 1898 Canadian 50 Cent is a Canadian 50 cent coin struck for circulation with 100,000 made. Value band: collector premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1898
- Circulation mintage
- 100,000
- Value band
- Collector 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 1898 Canadian 50 Cent worth?
With 100,000 struck, the 1898 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 17th lowest of the 125 circulating Canadian 50 cent coins we track. Collectors pay a collector premium even for worn examples. Sharp, uncirculated coins with no marks bring considerably more.
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 1898 Canadian 50 Cent rare?
- Yes, by the standards of Canadian 50 cent coins. With 100,000 struck, the 1898 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 17th lowest of the 125 circulating Canadian 50 cent coins we track.
- How many 1898 Canadian 50 cent coins were made?
- 100,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1898 Canadian 50 Cent made of?
- Sterling silver (92.5% silver). It weighs 11.62 g and measures 29.72 mm.
- Is the 1898 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 1898 50 cent coin in context
After three years without any 50 cent pieces, London struck 100,000 dated 1898. It was a year of excitement in Canada, with the Klondike gold rush at its peak in the Yukon and the economy on the mend after the hard early 1890s. The new order was the largest since 1892 and much bigger than the 1894 that came before it. It was the first Victorian 50 cent piece since 1894 and the start of four straight years of orders that ran to the end of the reign.
The 1898 sits in the comfortable middle of the Victorian range. It is scarcer than the 1892 but far easier than the keys, so it is often one of the earlier Victorian dates a collector adds. It was followed by a small run of 50,000 in 1899 and then 118,000 in 1900, the last full year of Victoria's reign. Most 1898 coins spent decades in commerce, so the usual survivor is well worn. A collector who is patient can still find one with good detail, though they come up far less often than worn pieces.
How to recognize it
Victoria's crowned bust faces left inside VICTORIA DEI GRATIA REGINA CANADA. The reverse shows 50 CENTS and 1898 inside the maple wreath with a crown at the top. It carries no mint mark. On worn coins the last two digits can look alike, so make sure you are reading an 8 and not a 9 or a 6. The coin is sterling silver, 11.62 g and about 29.7 mm, with around 0.35 troy ounces of pure silver. Leaf veins on the wreath are a good test of wear. Compare the wreath with an earlier Victorian coin and you will see the same design, unchanged since 1870.
1898 Canadian 50 Cent by the numbers
In mintage terms the 1898 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 17th lowest of 125 Canadian 50 cent dates and varieties from 1870 to 2022. The next scarcer is the 2006 Canadian 50 Cent (98,000); the next more common is the 1900 Canadian 50 Cent (118,000).
For scale, the most common is the 2002 P Golden Jubilee Canadian 50 Cent with 14.4 million, about 144 times as many. The scarcest is the 1932 Canadian 50 Cent with 19,213, 5.2 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1898 output was 3.4 times the 1894 figure and 2 times the 1899 figure.
Over the 1890s the Mint produced 350,036 50 cent coins across 5 dates and varieties; the 1898 Canadian 50 Cent accounts for 29% of that.
What to check on your 1898 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.
- 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 1898 carries a collector premium in any grade, more so with visible hair detail. It is a good middle step between the more available 1892 and the keys. Check that the final 8 is genuine, since an 1898 and an 1899 can be confused when worn. The 1899 is the scarcer coin. Natural tone and an undamaged rim matter more than a bright surface. Only the 1900 has a higher figure among the last four Victorian years, which makes the 1898 a sensible place to start.
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 | 1898 |
| Circulation mintage | 100,000 |
| Composition | Sterling silver (92.5% silver) |
| Weight | 11.62 g |
| Diameter | 29.72 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Frequently asked questions
Why were no 50 cent pieces struck from 1895 to 1897?
Demand for the denomination was low and the coins already in circulation were enough. When orders resumed, London struck 100,000 coins dated 1898. That pause came straight after the small 1894 run of 29,036 coins.
How do you tell an 1898 from an 1899 when worn?
Look at the last digit under magnification. An 8 has two closed loops, while a 9 has an open tail below its loop. The 1899 is scarcer, with 50,000 struck. Wear makes this harder, so use good light.
Mintage figures: 50-cent piece (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.