1949 Canadian Nickel

Quick answers

Is the 1949 Canadian Nickel rare?

No. 13.7 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.

How many 1949 Canadian nickels were made?

13,736,276 were struck for circulation.

What is the 1949 Canadian Nickel made of?

Nickel (99.9%). It weighs 4.54 g and measures 21.2 mm, with a 12-sided shape.

Is the 1949 Canadian Nickel still legal tender?

Yes. Canadian 5-cent coins are legal tender.

How to recognize it

The 1949 Canadian Nickel is 12-sided, 21.2 mm across and nickel (99.9%).

1949 Canadian Nickel by the numbers

In mintage terms the 1949 Canadian Nickel ranks 89th lowest of 161 Canadian nickel dates and varieties from 1858 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 1950 Canadian Nickel (12 million); the next more common is the 1940 Canadian Nickel (13.8 million).

For scale, the most common is the 2008 Canadian Nickel with 278.5 million, about 20 times as many. The scarcest is the 1884 Canadian Nickel with 200,000, 69 times fewer than this one.

Compared with the dates around it, the 1949 output was 7.6 times the 1948 figure and 1.1 times the 1950 figure.

Over the 1940s the Mint produced 127.6 million five cent coins across 12 dates and varieties; the 1949 Canadian Nickel accounts for 11% of that.

What to check on your 1949 Canadian Nickel

• Try a magnet. Nickel (99.9%) is magnetic, so a genuine 1949 coin sticks; a silver one would not.
• Never clean it. Rubbing or polishing leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
• 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 five cent coins.

Postwar George VI nickels (1946 to 1952)

With the war over the beaver returned and so did nickel. From 1946 the coin was struck in pure nickel again but kept the 12-sided shape introduced during the war. Indian independence in 1947 meant George VI was no longer Emperor of India, so the IND IMP in the legend had to go. New dies were not ready in time, so the mint struck 1947 dated coins with a tiny maple leaf after the date during 1948 as a stopgap. From 1948 onward the legend reads simply that George VI is king by the grace of God.

1951 brought Canada's first commemorative five cents. Stephen Trenka designed a nickel refinery to mark 200 years since the Swedish chemist Axel Fredrik Cronstedt first isolated the metal in 1751. That piece was struck in pure nickel, but the Korean War soon put nickel back on the strategic list. The regular beaver coins of 1951 and 1952 were struck on plated steel, a change that lasted until 1954.

The 1948 is the scarce date of this group at 1,810,789. The 1947 maple leaf coin is popular and easy to spot once you look for the leaf after the date. The 1951 refinery design stands out at a glance and is common. For the steel coins check for rust spots and peeling plating. On all of them the beaver's back and the water lines show wear first, while the edges of a 12-sided coin should be crisp.

Mintage chart

Specifications