1909 Canadian 50 Cent Coin

Quick answers

Is the 1909 Canadian 50 Cent rare?

Yes, by the standards of Canadian 50 cent coins. With 203,118 struck, the 1909 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 32nd lowest of the 125 circulating Canadian 50 cent coins we track.

How many 1909 Canadian 50 cent coins were made?

203,118 were struck for circulation.

What is the 1909 Canadian 50 Cent made of?

Sterling silver (92.5% silver). It weighs 11.62 g and measures 29.72 mm.

Is the 1909 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.

How to recognize it

The 1909 Canadian 50 Cent is round, 29.72 mm across and sterling silver (92.5% silver).

1909 Canadian 50 Cent by the numbers

By the numbers, the 1909 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 32nd lowest of 125 Canadian 50 cent dates and varieties from 1870 to 2022. The next scarcer is the 2005 Canadian 50 Cent (200,000); the next more common is the 1921 Canadian 50 Cent (206,398).

For scale, the most common is the 2002 P Golden Jubilee Canadian 50 Cent with 14.4 million, about 71 times as many. The scarcest is the 1932 Canadian 50 Cent with 19,213, 11 times fewer than this one.

Compared with the dates around it, the 1909 output was 1.6 times the 1908 figure and 3.2 times fewer than 1910.

Over the 1900s the Mint produced 1.54 million 50 cent coins across 10 dates and varieties; the 1909 Canadian 50 Cent accounts for 13% of that.

What to check on your 1909 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.

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