2006 Canadian 50 Cent Coin
The 2006 Canadian 50 Cent is a Canadian 50 cent coin struck for circulation with 98,000 made. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2006
- Circulation mintage
- 98,000
- Value band
- Small premium
- Composition
- Nickel-plated steel
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 2006 Canadian 50 Cent worth?
At 98,000, the 2006 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:
- Full uncirculated luster
- Original mint roll or set coins
- A recognized variety or genuine error
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 2006 Canadian 50 Cent rare?
- It is scarcer than most Canadian 50 cent coins. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many 2006 Canadian 50 cent coins were made?
- 98,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 2006 Canadian 50 Cent made of?
- Nickel-plated steel. It weighs 6.9 g and measures 27.13 mm.
- Is the 2006 Canadian 50 Cent still legal tender?
- Yes. Canadian 50 cent coins are legal tender.
The 2006 50 cent coin in context
The 2006 has the lowest reported mintage of any Canadian 50 cent piece since 1948. The mint struck just 98,000, less than half the 200,000 of 2005 and well below the 250,000 of 2007. By then the 50 cent piece was produced mostly for mint sets and for collectors buying rolls, so its numbers were small and uneven from year to year. The figure was a dramatic fall from the 14,440,000 jubilee coins of only four years earlier.
Susanna Blunt's uncrowned portrait of the queen, introduced in 2003, appears on the obverse. A low mintage for a coin made mostly for collectors does not always translate into rarity, because a large share of the run went straight into sets and rolls and survives in fine condition. Even so, the 2006 is a date that modern collectors watch for and it is rarely seen in change. Few people ever spend a 50 cent piece, so most finders come across one in a set, a roll or a souvenir pack rather than in their pocket. It is the key date of the plated steel years.
How to recognize it
Susanna Blunt's portrait shows the queen facing right without a crown, with ELIZABETH II D·G·REGINA. The reverse shows the revised coat of arms with the Order of Canada ribbon around the shield, along with CANADA, 50 CENTS and 2006. The coin is plated steel, 6.9 g and 27.13 mm. A magnet picks it up. Look for sharp detail in the arms and clean, unscratched plating. Susanna Blunt is a Canadian artist whose portrait was chosen for coins from 2003. Wear on this coin is rare, since most survivors came straight from sets and rolls, but marks and spots on the plating are common.
2006 Canadian 50 Cent by the numbers
In mintage terms the 2006 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 16th lowest of 125 Canadian 50 cent dates and varieties from 1870 to 2022. The next scarcer is the 1901 Canadian 50 Cent (80,000); the next more common is the 1898 Canadian 50 Cent (100,000).
For scale, the most common is the 2002 P Golden Jubilee Canadian 50 Cent with 14.4 million, about 147 times as many. The scarcest is the 1932 Canadian 50 Cent with 19,213, 5.1 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 2006 output was 2 times fewer than 2005 and 2.6 times fewer than 2007.
Over the 2000s the Mint produced 16.3 million 50 cent coins across 8 dates and varieties; the 2006 Canadian 50 Cent accounts for 0.6% of that.
What to check on your 2006 Canadian 50 Cent
- Try a magnet. Nickel-plated steel is magnetic, so a genuine 2006 coin sticks; a silver one would not.
- Never clean it. Rubbing or polishing leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
- Look for full luster and no scratches. Modern 50 cent coins only interest collectors in uncirculated condition or with a recognized variety.
The 2006 is a modern low mintage date. Uncirculated coins draw a small premium and are the ones collectors look for. Circulated pieces are less sought after but worth setting aside. Keep any example in a holder, since plated steel scratches and spots easily. Because so many were saved new, the best approach is to look for a coin with full luster and no spots. A 2006 from a roll or set is the easiest way to add one to a collection. Low mintage aside, it is not a coin to expect in your change.
Plated steel 50 cents (2001 to 2022)
To cut costs the Royal Canadian Mint moved the 50 cent piece to plated steel in 2001. The new coin weighs 6.9 g against 8.1 g for nickel, keeps the 27.13 mm diameter and carries a small P, for plated, under the portrait. Both kinds are magnetic, so weight and the P are what tell them apart. Every 2002 coin carries the double date 1952 and 2002 for the queen's Golden Jubilee. Susanna Blunt's uncrowned portrait replaced de Pédery-Hunt's crowned one in 2003.
By this time the 50 cent piece was barely seen in daily change. It was struck mainly for mint sets and for collectors who buy coins in rolls, which explains the small figures. The 2002 Golden Jubilee issue is the great exception at 14,440,000. After that, reported mintages drop to 200,000 in 2005, 98,000 in 2006 and between 150,000 and 250,000 for most years to 2012. Production then rose steadily to 875,000 in 2017, the year of Canada's 150th anniversary of Confederation, before settling at 750,000 and then 375,000.
Low mintage does not always mean rare here. Many of these coins were saved in sets and rolls from the start, so survivors are in fine condition and most trade at face value or a small premium. The dates worth noticing are 2006, the lowest of the modern run, followed by 2009 and 2010. Keep coins fresh from a roll in a holder, since plated steel shows scratches. Queen Elizabeth died in September 2022, ending a run of her portraits on the 50 cent piece that began in 1953.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 2006 |
| Circulation mintage | 98,000 |
| Composition | Nickel-plated steel |
| Weight | 6.9 g |
| Diameter | 27.13 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Frequently asked questions
How many 2006 Canadian 50 cent pieces were made?
The reported mintage is 98,000, the lowest for any Canadian 50 cent piece since 1948. Most went into mint sets and collector rolls rather than into circulation. The 2005 figure was 200,000.
Is the 2006 50 cents valuable?
It is a modern low mintage date, so uncirculated examples draw a small premium. Circulated pieces are worth less, but the date is uncommon enough to keep if you find one. Keep it in a holder.
Mintage figures: 50-cent piece (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.