1911 Canadian Penny
The 1911 Canadian Penny is a one-cent coin struck for circulation with 4.66 million made. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1911
- Circulation mintage
- 4,663,486
- Value band
- Small premium
- Composition
- Bronze (95.5% copper, 3% tin, 1.5% zinc)
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 1911 Canadian Penny worth?
A large cent from 1911 is old enough that collectors want it in any condition. Worn, dark coins bring a small premium; coins with clear detail in the hair and leaves bring much more. Any with original red color are in a class of their own.
What would make yours worth more:
- Original red color rather than brown
- Sharp detail in the portrait and leaves
- 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 1911 Canadian Penny rare?
- It is scarcer than most Canadian pennies. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many 1911 Canadian pennies were made?
- 4,663,486 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1911 Canadian Penny made of?
- Bronze (95.5% copper, 3% tin, 1.5% zinc). It weighs 5.67 g and measures 25.4 mm.
- Is the 1911 Canadian Penny still legal tender?
- Yes. The Royal Canadian Mint stopped distributing cents in 2013, but they remain legal tender. Cash payments are rounded to the nearest five cents, so most pennies now sit in jars or go to banks.
The 1911 penny in context
George V's first Canadian coins caused a stir. When the 1911 cents came out, the legend read GEORGIVS V REX ET IND: IMP:, with the traditional DEI GRA: left off. That phrase, short for by the grace of God, had appeared on British and Canadian coins for generations. Many Canadians objected to its absence. Newspapers and churches complained and the coins were quickly nicknamed Godless, a name collectors still use for them today.
The government gave way. From 1912 the legend was corrected to include DEI GRA:, so 1911 is the only year with the short version. The change affected every Canadian denomination that year, not just the cent. A total of 4,663,486 cents were struck, an ordinary figure for the period, so the Godless cent is not scarce in itself. Its appeal is the story. It is a one year type with a clear, checkable difference. That makes it a popular coin for people starting a George V collection or anyone who likes coins with a bit of controversy attached.
How to recognize it
Bertram Mackennal's crowned and robed bust of George V faces left, with GEORGIVS V REX ET IND: IMP: around it. Read the legend carefully: there is no DEI GRA: between the king's name and REX. The reverse keeps the large cent design of ONE CENT and 1911 inside a beaded circle with a maple vine border. The coin is 25.4 mm and 5.67 g. A cent from 1912 onward looks almost identical, so the legend and the date are the checks to rely on. Worn coins can still be read if you hold them at an angle under a lamp.
1911 Canadian Penny by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 1911 Canadian Penny ranks 40th lowest of 151 Canadian cent dates and varieties from 1858 to 2012. The next scarcer is the 1906 Canadian Penny (4.1 million); the next more common is the 1915 Canadian Penny (4.93 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1981 Round Canadian Penny with 1.21 billion, about 259 times as many. The scarcest is the 1858 Canadian Penny with 421,000, 11 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1911 output was 1.1 times fewer than 1910 and 1.1 times fewer than 1912.
Over the 1910s the Mint produced 76.2 million cents across 10 dates and varieties; the 1911 Canadian Penny accounts for 6.1% of that.
What to check on your 1911 Canadian Penny
- Check the color. Collectors describe copper cents as red, red-brown or brown; original red color is worth far more than toned or dull surfaces.
- Never clean it. Rubbing, polishing or dipping leaves fine scratches and an unnatural color that collectors spot at once.
- Look at the high points of the portrait and the lettering. Wear there sets the grade. The grade in turn drives the value of older cents.
At about 4.7 million, the 1911 is one of the commoner large cents and worn examples carry only a small premium. Interest climbs for coins with sharp crown detail and full leaf veins and an uncirculated coin with red color is a very desirable piece. Collectors often pair the 1911 with a 1912 to show the legend change, a neat display for anyone interested in how public opinion shaped a coin. Look for even brown color and avoid coins that have been polished, as a shiny surface on an old cent is almost always the result of cleaning.
George V large cents, 1911 to 1920
George V's crowned portrait by Bertram Mackennal first appeared on Canadian coins dated 1911 and it started with a controversy. The legend read GEORGIVS V REX ET IND: IMP:, leaving out DEI GRA:, the reference to ruling by the grace of God. Many Canadians objected to what the newspapers called Godless coins and from 1912 the legend was corrected to GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: REX ET IND: IMP:. The 1911 cent is the only large cent with the short legend, which makes it easy to check.
The coin kept its old dimensions of 25.4 mm and 5.67 g, with ONE CENT and the date inside the maple vine. The First World War changed the numbers. Mintages that had been three to six million a year before the war jumped to more than eleven million in each year from 1916 to 1919, with 1918 the highest at nearly thirteen million. Rising copper costs and the sheer bulk of the coin made a smaller cent attractive and in 1920 Canada switched to a 19.05 mm cent close in size to the American one.
Cents dated 1920 come in both sizes and the large ones are the last of their kind. For everything in this period, start with two checks: the legend on 1911 coins and the size on 1920 coins. Most dates are common in worn condition, especially the wartime years. Look for natural brown color and clear detail in the crown and the maple leaves. Coins that have spent decades in jars often carry dark spots or green verdigris and those lower collector interest more than ordinary wear does.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 1 cent |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1911 |
| Circulation mintage | 4,663,486 |
| Composition | Bronze (95.5% copper, 3% tin, 1.5% zinc) |
| Weight | 5.67 g |
| Diameter | 25.4 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
Frequently asked questions
Why is the 1911 Canadian cent called Godless?
Its legend leaves out DEI GRA:, meaning by the grace of God. Public complaints led the government to restore the words from 1912, so the 1911 is the only cent with the shorter legend.
Is the 1911 Godless cent rare?
Not especially. About 4.7 million were struck, so worn examples are easy to find and trade for a small premium. Sharp coins and uncirculated pieces with red color draw much stronger collector interest.
Mintage figures: Penny (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.