1982 Canadian Nickel
The 1982 Canadian Nickel is a Canadian nickel struck for circulation with 64.9 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1982
- Circulation mintage
- 64,924,400
- Value band
- Face value
- Composition
- Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel)
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 1982 Canadian Nickel worth?
With 64.9 million made, the 1982 Canadian Nickel is common and worth face value in circulated condition. Only uncirculated coins with full luster, recognized varieties and genuine errors interest collectors.
What would make yours worth more:
- Full uncirculated luster
- A recognized variety or genuine error
- Coins from a specimen or proof set
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 1982 Canadian Nickel rare?
- No. 64.9 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 1982 Canadian nickels were made?
- 64,924,400 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1982 Canadian Nickel made of?
- Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel). It weighs 4.6 g and measures 21.2 mm.
- Is the 1982 Canadian Nickel still legal tender?
- Yes. Canadian 5-cent coins are legal tender.
The 1982 nickel in context
The 1982 nickel was the first made of cupronickel instead of pure nickel. The price of nickel had climbed through the 1970s and a coin of solid nickel was becoming expensive to make, so the Royal Canadian Mint switched to an alloy of about 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel. The weight changed slightly, from 4.54 g to 4.6 g, while the size stayed close to 21.2 mm. The mint struck 64,924,400 of the new coins.
To the eye there is little difference, but there is an easy test. Pure nickel is attracted to a magnet and cupronickel is not. That means a 1981 nickel will jump to a magnet and a 1982 will ignore it. The cupronickel alloy would remain in use until plated steel took over at the turn of the century. For collectors, 1982 is the first of a new metal type and the start of a run of nearly two decades of non magnetic nickels. Few people noticed the change when it happened, so it makes a good talking point.
How to recognize it
Arnold Machin's tiara portrait of Elizabeth II remains on the obverse, as it had since 1965. The reverse is the familiar beaver on a rock, with CANADA above and 5 CENTS below. The coin is round, 4.6 g, struck in cupronickel. In the hand it looks and feels almost exactly like the pure nickel coins before it. The design did not change for the new metal, so the magnet test is the simplest way to tell a 1982 from an older coin in the same condition. The beaver and portrait are the same designs used on earlier coins. Only the metal changed.
1982 Canadian Nickel by the numbers
In mintage terms the 1982 Canadian Nickel ranks 118th lowest of 161 Canadian nickel dates and varieties from 1858 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 1972 Canadian Nickel (62.4 million); the next more common is the 2014 Canadian Nickel (66.4 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2008 Canadian Nickel with 278.5 million, about 4.3 times as many. The scarcest is the 1884 Canadian Nickel with 200,000, 325 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1982 output was 1.5 times fewer than 1981 and 1.1 times fewer than 1983.
Over the 1980s the Mint produced 1.06 billion five cent coins across 10 dates and varieties; the 1982 Canadian Nickel accounts for 6.1% of that.
What to check on your 1982 Canadian Nickel
- Try a magnet. Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) is not magnetic, while the plated steel coins of later years are.
- Never clean it. Rubbing or polishing leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
- Look for full luster and no scratches. Modern five cent coins only interest collectors in uncirculated condition or with a recognized variety.
The 1982 is common and usually holds face value. As the first cupronickel nickel it is worth keeping a nice example in a type set. Try the magnet test with a 1981 and a 1982 side by side; it makes the change easy to see. Look for coins without scratches across the beaver or the queen's portrait. A coin from a 1982 mint set is the easiest way to get a sharp example. Circulated coins often show scratches and dull toning, which is normal for their age.
Cupronickel beavers (1982 to 1999)
Pure nickel became too expensive for a five cent coin and in 1982 the Royal Canadian Mint switched to cupronickel, an alloy of about 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel. The new coin weighed 4.6 g and stayed round at about 21.2 mm, but it no longer sticks to a magnet. The Machin portrait continued until 1989. In 1990 it was replaced by Dora de Pédery-Hunt's portrait of the queen wearing a crown, the first effigy of the queen designed by a Canadian.
The beaver kept its place on the reverse throughout, though one date broke the pattern. In 1992 the coins carried the double date 1867 1992 for the 125th anniversary of Confederation. Mintages ranged widely, from over 150 million in 1986 and 1998 down to just under 11 million in 1991, the lowest since the early 1970s.
The 1991 is the scarce date of this period, though it is still common enough to show up in rolls. The 1996 has a near 6 and far 6 variety. Late in the decade the mint tested plated steel and a small number of 1999 coins carry a P under the portrait; a 1999 P is a real find. To tell cupronickel from earlier pure nickel quickly, use a magnet: these coins do not respond. Bright, unmarked coins from mint sets are the best examples of any date here.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 5 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1982 |
| Circulation mintage | 64,924,400 |
| Composition | Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
| Weight | 4.6 g |
| Diameter | 21.2 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
Frequently asked questions
Why doesn't a 1982 nickel stick to a magnet?
From 1982 the coin was made of cupronickel, an alloy of copper and nickel that is not magnetic. Earlier nickels in pure nickel are magnetic, as are the plated steel coins from 2000 onward.
Why did Canada stop using pure nickel?
Nickel had become too expensive for a five cent coin. Switching to cupronickel cut the cost while keeping a coin that looked and felt much the same. The weight changed only slightly.
Mintage figures: Nickel (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.