1926 Canadian Penny
The 1926 Canadian Penny is a one-cent coin struck for circulation with 2.14 million made. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1926
- Circulation mintage
- 2,143,372
- 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 1926 Canadian Penny worth?
At 2.14 million, the 1926 Canadian Penny has a smaller run than most Canadian pennies, 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:
- 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 1926 Canadian Penny rare?
- It is scarcer than most Canadian pennies. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many 1926 Canadian pennies were made?
- 2,143,372 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1926 Canadian Penny made of?
- Bronze (95.5% copper, 3% tin, 1.5% zinc). It weighs 3.24 g and measures 19.05 mm.
- Is the 1926 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 1926 penny in context
The 1926 closes the run of low mintage small cents. Production rose to 2,143,372, about twice the 1925 figure, though still far below the levels of 1920 and 1921. By 1927 the mint was striking 3.5 million cents and by 1928 more than nine million, so the 1926 is the last of the scarce years and the natural end point for anyone collecting the slump dates as a group.
People sometimes confuse this coin with the 1926 five cent piece, which is famous for its near 6 and far 6 varieties. Those varieties belong to the nickel. The cent has no comparable date variety in the standard catalogs. For most people the date alone is the story: a 1926 is a scarce small cent that draws a collector premium, though less than the 1923 or 1925. If you have one, a quick look at the final 6 is worth the effort, since a worn 1928 can pass for it at a glance and collectors want the date fully readable.
How to recognize it
On the 1926 cent, Bertram Mackennal's crowned bust of George V sits inside GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: REX ET IND: IMP:. The reverse has two maple leaves with ONE CENT between them, CANADA above and 1926 below. Expect 19.05 mm and 3.24 g on a genuine 1926 cent. To confirm the date, look closely at the final 6 and compare its shape and spacing with the other digits, then check it against clear reference photos. A worn 8 can lose part of its upper loop and pass for a 6, so judge it on a coin where the digit is sharp; on a heavily worn piece, take extra care.
1926 Canadian Penny by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 1926 Canadian Penny ranks 21st lowest of 151 Canadian cent dates and varieties from 1858 to 2012. The next scarcer is the 1905 Canadian Penny (2 million); the next more common is the 1899 Canadian Penny (2.4 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1981 Round Canadian Penny with 1.21 billion, about 564 times as many. The scarcest is the 1858 Canadian Penny with 421,000, 5.1 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1926 output was 2.1 times the 1925 figure and 1.7 times fewer than 1927.
Over the 1920s the Mint produced 61.7 million cents across 11 dates and varieties; the 1926 Canadian Penny accounts for 3.5% of that.
What to check on your 1926 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 2.1 million, the 1926 draws a collector premium in all grades, though less than the true keys. For the 1926 cent, collectors want sharp leaf veins and crown detail; uncirculated pieces are scarce. Altered dates are possible here too, so look for tooling around the 6. Specialists want the whole date crisp and readable and a coin with a clear, untouched 6 is easier to place in a collection. Honest, evenly worn pieces draw far more interest than cleaned or polished ones.
George V small cents, 1920 to 1936
In 1920 Canada replaced its big copper cent with a much smaller coin: 19.05 mm and 3.24 g, close in size to the cent used across the border. Some large cents dated 1920 were still struck before the change, so both sizes share the date. The small cent kept Mackennal's crowned George V and the corrected legend, but it got a new reverse with two maple leaves on a single stem, ONE CENT between them, CANADA above and the date below. The alloy stayed at 95.5% copper, 3% tin and 1.5% zinc.
The new coin was produced in huge numbers at first: more than fifteen million small cents in 1920 and over seven million in 1921. That left plenty in stock and output collapsed for the next five years. The mintages for 1922 to 1926 run from about one million to two million, with 1923 and 1925 the lowest. Those years are the keys of the whole small cent series. Output recovered in the late 1920s, dipped again to about 2.5 million in 1930 as the Depression set in, then jumped past 21 million in 1932.
George V died in January 1936. Cents dated 1936 still carry his portrait, because Edward VIII's coins were never issued in Canada. Cents dated 1936 with a small dot below the date were struck in early 1937 while dies for George VI were not ready, yet only a few are known today. For anything from 1922 to 1926, check the date with a magnifier, since key dates attract altered coins. Wear shows first on the crown and the leaf veins.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 1 cent |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1926 |
| Circulation mintage | 2,143,372 |
| Composition | Bronze (95.5% copper, 3% tin, 1.5% zinc) |
| Weight | 3.24 g |
| Diameter | 19.05 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
Frequently asked questions
Is there a 1926 near 6 and far 6 cent?
Not in the standard catalogs. The near 6 and far 6 varieties belong to the 1926 five cent piece. The 1926 cent is collected as a single date, with one published mintage of 2,143,372.
Is the 1926 cent a key date?
It is a scarce date and the last of the low mintage years from 1922 to 1926. It draws a collector premium, though less than the 1923 and 1925, which are the true keys.
Mintage figures: Penny (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.