1908 Canadian 50 Cent Coin
The 1908 Canadian 50 Cent is a Canadian 50 cent coin struck for circulation with 128,119 made. Value band: collector premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1908
- Circulation mintage
- 128,119
- 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 1908 Canadian 50 Cent worth?
With 128,119 struck, the 1908 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 20th 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 1908 Canadian 50 Cent rare?
- Yes, by the standards of Canadian 50 cent coins. With 128,119 struck, the 1908 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 20th lowest of the 125 circulating Canadian 50 cent coins we track.
- How many 1908 Canadian 50 cent coins were made?
- 128,119 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1908 Canadian 50 Cent made of?
- Sterling silver (92.5% silver). It weighs 11.62 g and measures 29.72 mm.
- Is the 1908 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 1908 50 cent coin in context
The 1908 is the first 50 cent piece made in Canada. On 2 January 1908 the Ottawa branch of the Royal Mint opened its doors, ending nearly four decades in which every Canadian silver coin was shipped across the Atlantic. The first coin struck there is usually said to have been a 50 cent piece, struck by the governor general, Earl Grey. Over the year the new mint produced 128,119 of the denomination.
That figure is lower than the 300,000 of 1907 and the 203,118 of 1909, so the 1908 is a scarcer date as well as a historic one. It was a small start for a mint that would go on to make billions of coins. Collectors value it as the coin that marks Canada's move to minting its own money and many like to own one alongside a London struck Edward coin for comparison. The Ottawa mint also prepared special sets of its first coins that year, so a few 1908 coins exist in better condition than usual. It remains the starting point for anyone collecting Canadian made coins.
How to recognize it
Edward VII's crowned and robed bust faces right with EDWARDVS VII DEI GRATIA REX IMPERATOR. The reverse has 50 CENTS and 1908 inside the maple wreath under a crown. Nothing on the coin shows that it was made in Ottawa; Canadian coins carried no mint mark for the new mint. Sterling silver, 11.62 g and roughly 29.7 mm wide, it holds about 0.35 troy ounces of pure silver. On a worn coin, check the 0 and 8 for clarity. The design is unchanged from the London coins of 1907, so the date is the only way to tell where your coin was made. Wear shows first on the beard and the crown.
1908 Canadian 50 Cent by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 1908 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 20th lowest of 125 Canadian 50 cent dates and varieties from 1870 to 2022. The next scarcer is the 1902 Canadian 50 Cent (120,000); the next more common is the 1903 H Canadian 50 Cent (140,000).
For scale, the most common is the 2002 P Golden Jubilee Canadian 50 Cent with 14.4 million, about 113 times as many. The scarcest is the 1932 Canadian 50 Cent with 19,213, 6.7 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1908 output was 2.3 times fewer than 1907 and 1.6 times fewer than 1909.
Over the 1900s the Mint produced 1.54 million 50 cent coins across 10 dates and varieties; the 1908 Canadian 50 Cent accounts for 8.3% of that.
What to check on your 1908 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 1908 carries a collector premium in any grade and extra interest as the first Canadian struck date. Most survivors circulated, but the year's special sets mean unusually sharp coins do exist. If yours has unusually crisp detail and clean fields, a grading service can tell you whether it is one of those. Otherwise, look for honest wear and an undamaged rim. Many collectors like to place a 1908 beside a 1907 to show the move from London to Ottawa. Natural tone is preferred to cleaned surfaces.
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 | 1908 |
| Circulation mintage | 128,119 |
| Composition | Sterling silver (92.5% silver) |
| Weight | 11.62 g |
| Diameter | 29.72 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Frequently asked questions
Was the 1908 the first 50 cent piece struck in Canada?
Yes. The Ottawa branch of the Royal Mint opened on 2 January 1908, so the 1908 coins are the first Canadian 50 cent pieces made in the country. Earlier dates came from London or Birmingham.
Does a 1908 50 cent piece have an Ottawa mint mark?
No. Coins from the Ottawa mint carried no mint mark. Only the Heaton mint in Birmingham had marked Canadian coins, with an H. Its last 50 cent pieces are dated 1903.
Mintage figures: 50-cent piece (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.