Rare Canadian Silver Coins: Key Dates From 5 Cents to 50 Cents

Silver or nickel? Start with the date

The date usually settles it.

• 5 cents: silver from 1858 to 1921, then nickel and other base metals
• 10 and 25 cents: silver to 1967, plus the early 1968 coins
• 50 cents: silver to 1967, nickel from 1968
• Up to 1919: sterling silver, 92.5%; 1920 to 1966: 80% silver
• 1967 dimes and quarters: 80% or 50% silver

The 30 lowest mintage Canadian silver coins

The 1921 5 cents and 50 cents are not ranked here because almost all were melted, so their mintages say little about survivors; both are among the rarest Canadian coins.

How to tell silver from nickel

A magnet is the fastest test. Silver is not attracted to it, while Canada's pure nickel coins of 1968 onward are. That settles the 1968 dime and quarter, which came in both. The color helps too. Silver looks whiter and tones to gold, blue or dark gray with age, while nickel has a slightly darker, steely look. Dropped on a hard surface, silver gives a clear ring. None of these tests will separate the 1967 80% and 50% coins, which look and behave the same.

Five and ten cent keys

The 1921 five cents is the headline coin. Of 2,582,495 struck, almost all were melted when the larger nickel coin arrived in 1922, leaving about 460 known. Victorian keys include the 1884 at 200,000 and the 1887 and 1894 at 500,000 each, scarce because the orders were small and the tiny coins were easily lost.

For dimes, the 1936 dot is the greatest rarity: struck early in 1937 on old dies with a dot added, it is known in only a handful of examples. The 1889 is the key regular date, with only an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 thought to exist. The 1884 (150,000) and the 1948 (422,741) are also scarce. The 1948 is low because dies with the King's new titles took time to prepare.

Quarter keys

The 1889 quarter, with 66,324 struck, is the lowest of any regular Canadian quarter. The 1887 and 1893 had 100,000 each and the 1891 had 120,000. The 1936 dot quarter (153,322) was made the same way as the dot dime but in larger numbers, so it is collectible rather than legendary. The 1915 (242,382) is the scarcest George V date, followed by the Depression years 1934 (384,350) and 1933 (421,282). Most quarters of the 1940s and later were struck in the millions and are worth their silver.

Fifty cent keys

The 1921 50 cents, the king of Canadian coins, leads everything. Almost the whole issue was melted and only about 75 to 100 are known. The 1890 H (20,000) and 1894 (29,036) are the hardest Victorian dates. The 1932, at 19,213, is the lowest regular date of the 20th century, a Depression year. The 1947 maple leaf (38,433) and the 1948 (37,784) round out the list, both scarce because of the delay in new dies.

Why these coins are scarce

The reasons repeat across the denominations. Small Victorian orders from England left low mintages. Melting wiped out the 1921 five and 50 cent coins. The Depression cut output in the early 1930s. Delays over new dies created the 1936 dots and the 1947 maple leaf and 1948 coins. Because the keys are so desirable, altered dates and added mint marks or dots are common. Check that every digit matches the others in style and wear. Have any major rarity authenticated by a grading service.

Frequently asked questions