1947 Maple Leaf Canadian Penny
The 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian Penny is a one-cent coin struck for circulation with 47.9 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1947
- Circulation mintage
- 47,855,448
- Value band
- Face value
- Composition
- Bronze (98% copper, 0.5% 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 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian Penny worth?
With 47.9 million made, the 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian Penny is common. A circulated one is worth face value. The cent is still legal tender even though the Mint stopped issuing it in 2013. Only coins with full original red color, a recognized variety or a genuine error interest collectors.
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 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian Penny rare?
- No. 47.9 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian pennies were made?
- 47,855,448 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian Penny made of?
- Bronze (98% copper, 0.5% tin, 1.5% zinc). It weighs 3.24 g and measures 19.05 mm.
- Is the 1947 Maple Leaf 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 1947 penny in context
After India's independence in 1947, the king's title of Emperor of India no longer applied and ET IND:IMP: had to come off the coins. The trouble was that new dies were not ready in time for 1948. The mint needed to keep striking coins, so it used the old 1947 dies and added a small maple leaf after the date to show the coins were actually made in 1948.
The result is the 1947 maple leaf cent and 47,855,448 were struck, more than the plain 1947. Maple leaf coins were made in other denominations too and on the cent the leaf version is common. When the new dies were finally ready, the mint struck 1948 cents with the shorter legend GEORGIVS VI DEI GRATIA REX. Specialists also sort maple leaf cents by the shape of the 7, pointed or blunt. For most people the leaf is the story: a tiny mark that records the end of an imperial title. Few coins tell a piece of world history so neatly, which is why this one is so popular with new collectors.
How to recognize it
Thomas Humphrey Paget's bare-headed George VI is on the obverse with the old legend GEORGIVS VI D:G: REX ET IND:IMP:. The reverse shows George Kruger Gray's maple twig with CANADA, 1 CENT and the date 1947, followed by a small maple leaf. A genuine 1947 maple leaf cent weighs 3.24 g and is 19.05 mm across. The leaf is tiny, so use a magnifier. Make sure it is a raised leaf and not a spot or a scratch. On worn coins the leaf can be weak but should still show as a raised shape with a recognizable outline, sitting level with the date. A genuine leaf is struck as crisply as the digits beside it.
1947 Maple Leaf Canadian Penny by the numbers
By the numbers, the 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian Penny ranks 71st lowest of 151 Canadian cent dates and varieties from 1858 to 2012. The next scarcer is the 1944 Canadian Penny (44.1 million); the next more common is the 1941 Canadian Penny (56.3 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1981 Round Canadian Penny with 1.21 billion, about 25 times as many. The scarcest is the 1858 Canadian Penny with 421,000, 114 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1947 output was 1.2 times fewer than 1946 and 1.9 times the 1948 figure. Other 1947 cents: 1947 Canadian Penny (31.1 million).
Over the 1940s the Mint produced 623.2 million cents across 11 dates and varieties; the 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian Penny accounts for 7.7% of that.
What to check on your 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian Penny
- Confirm the variety: maple leaf after the date. Use a magnifier and compare with a reference picture before you assume you have the scarcer one.
- 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.
With nearly 48 million struck, the 1947 maple leaf cent is common. Worn coins are close to face value with a small premium for the variety and uncirculated red coins draw more interest. The story makes it a favorite with people just starting out and many collectors pair it with a plain 1947. The pointed and blunt 7 varieties add interest for specialists. For display, choose a coin where the leaf is sharp and the surface is original; a dark or spotted coin hides the very detail that makes it interesting.
George VI cents and the maple twig, 1937 to 1952
Edward VIII abdicated in December 1936 before any Canadian coins bearing his portrait were issued, so the next new portrait belonged to George VI. His cents, first dated 1937, paired a bare-headed effigy by Thomas Humphrey Paget with an all new reverse by George Kruger Gray: a maple twig with two leaves, along with CANADA, 1 CENT and the date. That twig went on to serve for seventy five years, staying on the cent until 2012 apart from the centennial year. The early legend reads GEORGIVS VI D:G: REX ET IND:IMP:.
The Second World War sent demand soaring. Mintages went from about 21.6 million in 1939 to almost 86 million in 1940 and 1943 reached about 89 million. Tin was needed for the war effort, so from 1942 the alloy dropped to 0.5% tin with 98% copper and 1.5% zinc. After India gained independence in 1947, the words ET IND:IMP: had to go. New dies were not ready, so in 1948 the mint kept striking coins with the 1947 date and added a small maple leaf after it. Cents dated 1948 onward read GEORGIVS VI DEI GRATIA REX.
Most cents from these years are common, a natural result of the wartime totals. What matters is the detail. Check 1947 coins for the leaf after the date and read the legend to tell early and late portraits apart. George VI died in February 1952, but cents dated 1952 still carry his portrait. Wear shows on the king's hair above the ear and on the veins of the two leaves. Red coins from bank rolls exist for many of these dates and collectors prefer them to the usual brown.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 1 cent |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1947 |
| Circulation mintage | 47,855,448 |
| Composition | Bronze (98% copper, 0.5% tin, 1.5% zinc) |
| Weight | 3.24 g |
| Diameter | 19.05 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
Other 1947 Canadian pennies
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 1947 Canadian Penny | 31,093,901 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
Why do some 1947 cents have a maple leaf after the date?
It was struck in 1948 using 1947 dies, because new dies without ET IND:IMP: were not ready. The mint added a small leaf after the date to show the coins were made in 1948.
Is the 1947 maple leaf cent rare?
No. Nearly 48 million were struck, more than the plain 1947. Worn coins carry a small premium at most, while uncirculated red coins with a sharp leaf draw more interest from collectors.
Mintage figures: Penny (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.