1991 Canadian Nickel
The 1991 Canadian Nickel is a Canadian nickel struck for circulation with 10.9 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1991
- Circulation mintage
- 10,931,000
- 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 1991 Canadian Nickel worth?
With 10.9 million made, the 1991 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 1991 Canadian Nickel rare?
- No. 10.9 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 1991 Canadian nickels were made?
- 10,931,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1991 Canadian Nickel made of?
- Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel). It weighs 4.6 g and measures 21.2 mm.
- Is the 1991 Canadian Nickel still legal tender?
- Yes. Canadian 5-cent coins are legal tender.
The 1991 nickel in context
With 10,931,000 struck, the 1991 nickel is the scarce date of the cupronickel era. The years around it saw far more: 42,537,000 in 1990 and 53,732,000 in 1992. The dip followed a very large order of 141,435,538 in 1989, which left plenty of coins in circulation. The 1991 was also only the second year of the new portrait of Elizabeth II wearing a crown. Output recovered quickly the following year.
Collectors of modern Canadian coins also know 1991 as a famously low year for the quarter, so the date has a reputation across the whole set. A good number were saved in mint sets, so it is far from rare, but it is the coin many people look for in change. Like 1970 for the pure nickel beavers, 1991 is the low point of its own metal type and a satisfying find for anyone searching through rolls. It is also one of the newer coins that new collectors can genuinely hope to pull from their own pockets. Plenty of people still check their change for it.
How to recognize it
The obverse shows Dora de Pédery-Hunt's portrait of Elizabeth II, introduced in 1990, with the queen wearing a crown. It was the first effigy of the queen designed by a Canadian. The reverse is the Kruger Gray beaver on a rock, CANADA above and 5 CENTS below. The coin is round, 4.6 g and struck in cupronickel, so it does not stick to a magnet. Nothing about the design marks 1991 as special, so the date is the only guide. On a sharp coin the crown's jewels and the queen's hair are clear. The beaver's tail is the first part of the reverse to wear.
1991 Canadian Nickel by the numbers
In mintage terms the 1991 Canadian Nickel ranks 85th lowest of 161 Canadian nickel dates and varieties from 1858 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 1952 Canadian Nickel (10.9 million); the next more common is the 1944 Steel Canadian Nickel (11.5 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2008 Canadian Nickel with 278.5 million, about 25 times as many. The scarcest is the 1884 Canadian Nickel with 200,000, 55 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1991 output was 3.9 times fewer than 1990 and 4.9 times fewer than 1992.
Over the 1990s the Mint produced 717.7 million five cent coins across 10 dates and varieties; the 1991 Canadian Nickel accounts for 1.5% of that.
What to check on your 1991 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.
Set aside any 1991 you find. Circulated coins are worth a little more than face value to collectors and uncirculated examples draw a small premium. Look for coins with clear detail in the crown and the beaver's fur. Coins from mint sets are the best source of sharp examples, since circulated 1991s are often scratched. Rolls from the period sometimes still turn up in old collections, so it is worth checking any you come across. Avoid cleaned coins. Even toning is fine.
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 | 1991 |
| Circulation mintage | 10,931,000 |
| Composition | Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) |
| Weight | 4.6 g |
| Diameter | 21.2 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
Frequently asked questions
Why is the 1991 nickel harder to find?
The mint struck 10,931,000, the lowest of any year from 1982 to 1999. A very large order in 1989 had left plenty of nickels in circulation, so fewer new coins were needed.
Who designed the portrait on the 1991 nickel?
Dora de Pédery-Hunt, a Canadian sculptor and medalist. Her portrait of the queen wearing a crown was used from 1990 until 2003 and it was the first effigy of the queen on Canadian coins designed by a Canadian.
Mintage figures: Nickel (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.