1947 Canadian 50 Cent Coin
The 1947 Canadian 50 Cent is a Canadian 50 cent coin struck for circulation with 424,885 made. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1947
- Circulation mintage
- 424,885
- Value band
- Small 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 1947 Canadian 50 Cent worth?
At 424,885, the 1947 Canadian 50 Cent has a smaller run than most Canadian 50 cent coins, so collectors pay a small premium for it, especially in uncirculated condition. Well circulated examples sit close to face value.
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 1947 Canadian 50 Cent rare?
- It is scarcer than most Canadian 50 cent coins. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many 1947 Canadian 50 cent coins were made?
- 424,885 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1947 Canadian 50 Cent made of?
- 80% silver, 20% copper. It weighs 11.66 g and measures 29.72 mm.
- Is the 1947 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 1947 50 cent coin in context
The plain 1947 is the last regular 50 cent piece with George VI's full imperial legend, GEORGIVS VI D:G: REX ET IND: IMP:. India became independent in August 1947, which meant the king was no longer Emperor of India. The mint struck 424,885 coins dated 1947 during the year itself, well down on the 950,235 of 1946. The coins still carry the old legend, because the change in the king's title came too late for new dies that year.
The 1947 is better known for its varieties than its mintage. Collectors divide it by the shape of the 7 in the date, with a straight 7 and a curved 7 both found. The plain 1947 is far more available than its 1947 maple leaf sibling, struck in 1948 from the same dies with a small leaf added. Next to that coin and the very low 1948, the plain 1947 is the easy member of the trio. Still, it is a lower mintage date than most George VI years and draws a collector premium. It is a date to check every time.
How to recognize it
Paget's portrait of George VI faces left with GEORGIVS VI D:G: REX ET IND: IMP:. The reverse carries the Canadian coat of arms with CANADA, 50 CENTS and 1947. There is no maple leaf after the date on this coin. To check the 7, look at its downstroke: a straight 7 runs in a clean diagonal, while a curved 7 bends noticeably. Comparing with reference photos is the easiest way to be sure. The metal is 80 percent silver at 11.66 g, roughly 0.30 troy ounces of pure silver. The coin measures about 29.7 mm across and wear shows first on the king's hair above the ear.
1947 Canadian 50 Cent by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 1947 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 55th lowest of 125 Canadian 50 cent dates and varieties from 1870 to 2022. The next scarcer is the 1993 Canadian 50 Cent (393,000); the next more common is the 1992 Canadian 50 Cent (445,000).
For scale, the most common is the 2002 P Golden Jubilee Canadian 50 Cent with 14.4 million, about 34 times as many. The scarcest is the 1932 Canadian 50 Cent with 19,213, 22 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1947 output was 2.2 times fewer than 1946 and 11 times the 1948 figure. Other 1947 50 cent coins: 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian 50 Cent (38,433).
Over the 1940s the Mint produced 15.5 million 50 cent coins across 11 dates and varieties; the 1947 Canadian 50 Cent accounts for 2.7% of that.
What to check on your 1947 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 plain 1947 carries a collector premium as a lower mintage George VI date. Variety collectors look for both 7 styles and coins with clear dates are the easiest to attribute. Always check the spot after the date for a maple leaf, since that coin is much scarcer. Look for sharp detail on the lion and unicorn. Most plain 1947 coins show moderate wear, since they circulated for two decades before silver vanished from change. It is also the coin to compare against when checking a possible maple leaf.
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
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1947 |
| Circulation mintage | 424,885 |
| Composition | 80% silver, 20% copper |
| Weight | 11.66 g |
| Diameter | 29.72 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Other 1947 Canadian 50 cent coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian 50 Cent Coin | 38,433 | Collector premium |
Frequently asked questions
How do you know if a 1947 50 cents is a maple leaf coin?
Look just after the 7 in the date. A maple leaf coin has a tiny raised leaf there. A plain 1947, like this one, has no leaf and is much more available.
What are the straight 7 and curved 7 varieties?
They are two styles of 7 found in the 1947 date. One is a straight diagonal stroke and the other curves. Both share the year's figure of 424,885. The plain and maple leaf coins both come with either style.
Mintage figures: 50-cent piece (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.