1939 Canadian 50 Cent Coin

Quick answers

Is the 1939 Canadian 50 Cent rare?

Yes, by the standards of Canadian 50 cent coins. With 287,976 struck, the 1939 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 44th lowest of the 125 circulating Canadian 50 cent coins we track.

How many 1939 Canadian 50 cent coins were made?

287,976 were struck for circulation.

What is the 1939 Canadian 50 Cent made of?

80% silver, 20% copper. It weighs 11.66 g and measures 29.72 mm.

Is the 1939 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 1939 Canadian 50 Cent is round, 29.72 mm across and 80% silver, 20% copper.

1939 Canadian 50 Cent by the numbers

By the numbers, the 1939 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 44th lowest of 125 Canadian 50 cent dates and varieties from 1870 to 2022. The next scarcer is the 1912 Canadian 50 Cent (285,867); the next more common is the 1907 Canadian 50 Cent (300,000).

For scale, the most common is the 2002 P Golden Jubilee Canadian 50 Cent with 14.4 million, about 50 times as many. The scarcest is the 1932 Canadian 50 Cent with 19,213, 15 times fewer than this one.

Compared with the dates around it, the 1939 output was 1.5 times the 1938 figure and 6.9 times fewer than 1940.

Over the 1930s the Mint produced 826,893 50 cent coins across 7 dates and varieties; the 1939 Canadian 50 Cent accounts for 35% of that.

What to check on your 1939 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.

George VI coat of arms 50 cents (1937 to 1952)

The coins of 1937 gave Canada a new look. The 50 cent piece dropped the maple wreath for the coat of arms of Canada, designed by George Kruger Gray, with the date and 50 CENTS around it. The obverse carries Thomas Humphrey Paget's bare headed portrait of George VI facing left with GEORGIVS VI D:G: REX ET IND: IMP:. The metal stayed at 80 percent silver, 11.66 g, with about 0.30 troy ounces of pure silver.

Mintages were modest before the war, at 192,016 in 1937 and 192,018 in 1938. The Second World War changed that, with nearly two million in 1940 and 3,109,583 in 1943. India's independence in 1947 then forced a new legend, because the king was no longer Emperor of India. The new dies were not ready at the start of 1948, so the mint struck more coins from its 1947 dies and added a small maple leaf after the date. Only 38,433 of those maple leaf 50 cent pieces were made, followed by just 37,784 coins dated 1948 with the new legend GEORGIVS VI DEI GRATIA REX.

The keys of the reign are the 1947 maple leaf and the 1948, both with a collector premium in every grade. The 1937 to 1939 coins are scarcer than the wartime dates and collectors also chase die varieties such as the hoof in the 6 on some 1946 coins. Read the legend against the date: ET IND: IMP: belongs on coins dated 1947 or earlier. George VI died in February 1952, but 1952 coins still show him. Wear shows on the king's hair above the ear and on the crown and lion in the arms.

Mintage chart

Specifications