1934 Canadian 50 Cent Coin
The 1934 Canadian 50 Cent is a Canadian 50 cent coin struck for circulation with 39,539 made. Value band: collector premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1934
- Circulation mintage
- 39,539
- Value band
- Collector premium
- Composition
- 80% silver, 20% copper
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 1934 Canadian 50 Cent worth?
With 39,539 struck, the 1934 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 7th 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 1934 Canadian 50 Cent rare?
- Yes, by the standards of Canadian 50 cent coins. With 39,539 struck, the 1934 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 7th lowest of the 125 circulating Canadian 50 cent coins we track.
- How many 1934 Canadian 50 cent coins were made?
- 39,539 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1934 Canadian 50 Cent made of?
- 80% silver, 20% copper. It weighs 11.66 g and measures 29.72 mm.
- Is the 1934 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 1934 50 cent coin in context
After skipping 1933, the mint struck 39,539 50 cent pieces dated 1934. The economy was beginning a slow recovery, but demand for the denomination stayed thin and the order was only about twice the size of the tiny 1932 run. The 1934 is one of four Depression keys in George V's 50 cent series, along with 1931, 1932 and 1936. No 50 cent pieces were struck for 1933 and none would be for 1935, so the 1934 sits alone between two gaps.
Of those four, the 1934 and 1936 are very close in mintage and collectors treat them as near equals in difficulty. The 1934 is scarcer than the 1931 and more available than the 1932. It also lacks the 1932's history of being saved by early collectors, so coins in strong grades can be harder to locate than the numbers imply. Most survivors are worn, sometimes heavily. For anyone sorting a bag of old Canadian silver, a 1934 is one of the dates that should stop you in your tracks. Few dates in the series reward a careful look more than this one.
How to recognize it
The obverse is Mackennal's crowned and robed George V, facing left, with GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: REX ET IND: IMP:. The reverse shows 50 CENTS and 1934 inside the maple wreath under a crown. Its specifications are 80 percent silver, 11.66 g and about 29.7 mm, with roughly 0.30 troy ounces of pure silver. On worn coins, check that the final digit is a 4 with an open shape and a clear crossbar. The reverse shows the same wreath and crown as every George V coin from 1912. Wear shows first on the crown jewels and the high points of the leaves. There is no mint letter on it.
1934 Canadian 50 Cent by the numbers
In mintage terms the 1934 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 7th lowest of 125 Canadian 50 cent dates and varieties from 1870 to 2022. The next scarcer is the 1936 Canadian 50 Cent (38,550); the next more common is the 1905 Canadian 50 Cent (40,000).
For scale, the most common is the 2002 P Golden Jubilee Canadian 50 Cent with 14.4 million, about 365 times as many. The scarcest is the 1932 Canadian 50 Cent with 19,213, 2.1 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1934 output was 2.1 times the 1932 figure and about the same as 1936.
Over the 1930s the Mint produced 826,893 50 cent coins across 7 dates and varieties; the 1934 Canadian 50 Cent accounts for 4.8% of that.
What to check on your 1934 Canadian 50 Cent
- Check the date first: silver Canadian 50 cent coins carry dates from 1870 to 1967; this one has 0.3 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 1934 carries a collector premium in any grade and is a significant date in fine condition. It is sometimes overshadowed by the 1932, which makes a nice example a good find. Look for natural surfaces and no signs of cleaning or damage. A grading service can confirm a sharp example. Since the 1934 and 1936 are so close in mintage, collectors often find them in either order. Look for honest wear with a clear date, since a readable 4 is the key to the coin.
George V 80 percent silver 50 cents (1920 to 1936)
Silver prices rose after the First World War and in 1920 Canada lowered the fineness of its silver coins from sterling to 80 percent. The 50 cent piece became 11.66 g of .800 silver at the same 29.7 mm or so, holding about 0.30 troy ounces of pure silver. Nothing on the coin announces the change. Mackennal's portrait and the maple wreath carried on, so the date is the only way to tell a 1919 from a 1920 by eye.
Then demand collapsed. The mint struck coins dated 1921, but banks were well stocked after the war and the new 50 cent pieces sat in storage. None are dated 1922 to 1928. When demand came back in 1929, the mint melted most of the 1920 and 1921 coins it still held rather than release old dates. Almost every 1921 disappeared and only 75 to 100 are known today. The Depression kept later runs tiny: 57,581 in 1931, 19,213 in 1932, 39,539 in 1934 and 38,550 in 1936, with no coins at all for 1930, 1933 or 1935. In December 1931 the Ottawa branch became the Royal Canadian Mint, though the coins look the same.
This is the group where Canadian 50 cent collecting gets serious. The 1921 is the king of Canadian coins and a significant rarity, while 1932, 1934, 1936 and 1931 are all key dates with a collector premium in any condition. The 1920 and 1929 are the more available pair. Check the last digit of the date carefully, since a worn 1929 or 1920 should never be mistaken for a 1921. Be wary of altered dates too. Wear hits the crown, the beard and the high points of the wreath first.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1934 |
| Circulation mintage | 39,539 |
| Composition | 80% silver, 20% copper |
| Weight | 11.66 g |
| Diameter | 29.72 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Frequently asked questions
How many 1934 50 cent pieces were struck?
The published mintage is 39,539. There are no 50 cent pieces dated 1933, so this was the first new supply since the tiny 1932 run of 19,213. It is one of the late George V keys.
Is the 1934 rarer than the 1936?
They are very close: 39,539 for 1934 against 38,550 for 1936. Collectors treat them as near equals, both keys of the late George V series. Both carry a collector premium in any grade.
Mintage figures: 50-cent piece (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.