1904 Canadian 50 Cent Coin
The 1904 Canadian 50 Cent is a Canadian 50 cent coin struck for circulation with 60,000 made. Value band: collector premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1904
- Circulation mintage
- 60,000
- 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 a 1904 Canadian 50 Cent worth?
With 60,000 struck, the 1904 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 13th 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 1904 Canadian 50 Cent rare?
- Yes, by the standards of Canadian 50 cent coins. With 60,000 struck, the 1904 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 13th lowest of the 125 circulating Canadian 50 cent coins we track.
- How many 1904 Canadian 50 cent coins were made?
- 60,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1904 Canadian 50 Cent made of?
- Sterling silver (92.5% silver). It weighs 11.62 g and measures 29.72 mm.
- Is the 1904 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 1904 50 cent coin in context
London struck just 60,000 50 cent pieces dated 1904, a sharp drop from the 140,000 struck at Heaton for 1903. The figure makes the 1904 one of the two keys of Edward VII's reign, behind only the 1905. Demand for the denomination was still thin and orders went up and down from year to year. The big jump came in 1906, when the figure reached 350,000. The figure was half the 120,000 London coins of 1902, so the middle of the decade was a thin time for this denomination.
Collectors of Edwardian silver know the 1904 as a coin that is easy to underestimate. It looks just like the common 1906 and 1907 and only the date shows the difference. Most survivors are worn and sharp examples are hard to find. Paired with the 1905, it forms the most difficult stretch of Edward VII 50 cent pieces. Building a full Edward set usually means waiting for both of these to appear in a grade you like. It also comes from the last stretch of years when every 50 cent piece was shipped from England.
How to recognize it
Edward VII's crowned and robed bust by George William de Saulles faces right, with EDWARDVS VII DEI GRATIA REX IMPERATOR around it. The reverse shows 50 CENTS and 1904 inside a maple wreath under a crown. No letter marks where it was struck. The 4 can wear thin on its crossbar, so check it under a magnifier. The coin is sterling silver, 11.62 g and about 29.7 mm, holding about 0.35 troy ounces of pure silver. Wear shows first on the king's beard and the top of the crown. The wreath itself follows the style used since the start of the series.
1904 Canadian 50 Cent by the numbers
In mintage terms the 1904 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 13th lowest of 125 Canadian 50 cent dates and varieties from 1870 to 2022. The next scarcer is the 1888 Canadian 50 Cent (60,000); the next more common is the 1872 H Canadian 50 Cent (80,000).
For scale, the most common is the 2002 P Golden Jubilee Canadian 50 Cent with 14.4 million, about 241 times as many. The scarcest is the 1932 Canadian 50 Cent with 19,213, 3.1 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1904 output was 2.3 times fewer than 1903 and 1.5 times the 1905 figure.
Over the 1900s the Mint produced 1.54 million 50 cent coins across 10 dates and varieties; the 1904 Canadian 50 Cent accounts for 3.9% of that.
What to check on your 1904 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.
A 1904 carries a collector premium in any grade and a strong one with clear detail on the robes and crown. It is scarce enough that altered dates are a risk, so compare the digits carefully. Look for honest wear and natural tone. Cleaned or damaged coins are common and worth much less interest than problem free pieces. For a set of Edward VII 50 cent pieces, the 1904 is usually the second hardest date to fill after the 1905. A coin with readable leaf veins is a good find.
Edward VII silver 50 cents (1902 to 1910)
Victoria died in January 1901, but 50 cent pieces dated 1901 still show her. Edward VII arrives on coins dated 1902, in a crowned and robed bust by George William de Saulles facing right, with the legend EDWARDVS VII DEI GRATIA REX IMPERATOR. The reverse kept the familiar layout of 50 CENTS and the date inside a maple wreath, with the crown at the top redrawn for the new reign. Nothing changed in the metal. An Edwardian 50 cent piece is still sterling silver, 11.62 g, with about 0.35 troy ounces of pure silver.
The big change was where the coins came from. Heaton in Birmingham struck its last 50 cent pieces for Canada in 1903, marked with an H. London supplied the rest until January 1908, when a branch of the Royal Mint opened in Ottawa. From then on Canada's coins were made at home. Demand for the denomination was still modest. Mintages range from just 40,000 in 1905 to 649,521 in 1910. The four years from 1902 to 1905 never reach 150,000. The 1910 coins come with two slightly different leaf designs on the reverse.
For this reign the date tells you most of what you need. The 1905 is the key, with 1904 close behind, while 1902, 1903-H and 1908 are better dates in any grade. The 1906, 1907 and 1909 are easier but still collector coins. Wear shows first on the king's beard and mustache, the top of the crown and the leaf veins. Edward died in May 1910, yet every 1910 50 cent piece still carries his portrait; George V's first coins are dated 1911.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1904 |
| Circulation mintage | 60,000 |
| Composition | Sterling silver (92.5% silver) |
| Weight | 11.62 g |
| Diameter | 29.72 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Frequently asked questions
How many 1904 Canadian 50 cent pieces were made?
The published mintage is 60,000, all struck in London. Only the 1905 is lower among Edward VII's 50 cent pieces, with 40,000. Both of them are far below the 350,000 struck for 1906.
Why is the 1904 harder to find than the 1906?
It was struck in far smaller numbers: 60,000 against 350,000 for 1906. Most coins circulated heavily, so the gap in survivors is even larger in better grades. Sharp examples are scarcer still.
Mintage figures: 50-cent piece (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.