Canada | |
Value | 0.05 CAD |
---|---|
Mass | 3.95 g |
Diameter | 21.2 mm |
Thickness | 1.76 mm |
Edge | smooth (plain) |
Composition | Nickel-plated steel 94.5% steel, 3.5% Cu, 2% Ni plating |
Years of minting | 1858–present |
Catalog number | – |
Obverse | |
Design | Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada |
Designer | Susanna Blunt |
Design date | 2003 |
Design discontinued | 2023 |
Design | Charles III, King of Canada |
Designer | Steven Rosati |
Design date | 2023 |
Reverse | |
Design | Beaver sitting on a rock |
Designer | G.E. Kruger Gray |
Design date | 1937 |
The Canadian five-cent coin, commonly called a nickel, is a coin worth five cents or one-twentieth of a Canadian dollar. It was patterned on the corresponding coin in the neighbouring United States. It became the smallest-valued coin in the currency upon the discontinuation of the penny in 2013.
The first ever Canadian five-cent coins were struck by the Royal Mint in London as part of the introductory 1858 coinage of the Province of Canada. The coins were the same size and general composition as the corresponding American coins of the time, so the five-cent coin was based on the half dime. Although the American denomination was introduced as a larger copper-nickel coin in 1866, and the five-cent silver was retired in 1873, the Canadian five-cent coins remained small and silver until 1922.
All Canadian coins (including five-cent coins) were struck in England at the Royal Mint (no mint mark) and the Birmingham Mint (H mint mark) until 1908, when the Ottawa branch of the Royal Mint opened. With the exception of some 1968 dimes struck at the Philadelphia Mint, all Canadian coins since 1908 have been minted in Canada.
Due to a rise in the price of silver, Canadian coinage was debased from sterling silver (925 fine) to 800 fine in 1920. In 1922, silver was removed entirely from the five-cent coin, replacing it with a coin of roughly the same dimensions and mass as the American nickel. However, unlike the American coin, which was 75% copper and 25% nickel, the Canadian coin was pure nickel, as Canada was the world's largest producer of the metal. This coin has since been known almost universally as the nickel.
The five-cent coin of Newfoundland, on the other hand, remained silver until the end of the Newfoundland coinage in 1947.
The nickel's composition has changed several times, most notably during World War II and the Korean War when nickel was redirected to the war effort, where it was essential for armour production. In the latter part of 1942 and throughout 1943, the coins were minted in tombac, an 88% copper-12% zinc alloy that got its name originally from the Indonesian/Javanese word for brass or copper. In 1944 and 1945, and again from mid-1951 to 1954, coins were made of steel which was plated twice, first with nickel and then chromium. The plating was applied before the blanks were struck, so the edges of these coins are dull or even rusted. The composition was returned to pure nickel after both wars. More recently, in 1982, the same copper-nickel alloy used in the American coin was adopted in the Canadian coin, with the ironic result that the nickel then contained less nickel than any other circulating Canadian coin except the cent. Since late in 2000, the nickel is now generally made with plated steel. Since the plating is now done after the blanks are punched, the edges of the modern coins receive the plating. Portions of the 2001 and 2006 issues were struck in cupronickel, and can be identified by the lack of the letter "P" under Queen Elizabeth II's portrait, and for their non-magnetic quality.
Starting with the 1942 tombac coins, the nickel was made dodecagonal, presumably to help distinguish it from the cent after it tarnished in circulation. Tombac was removed from the nickel in 1944 (to be replaced by steel, as noted during the Korean war) but the coins in Tombac, steel, or 99.9% nickel all remained twelve-sided until 1963.
All of these coins were lighter than the US version, which is minted to be as close as possible to five grams. Canadian 99.9% nickel five-cent coins are nearly 0.5 gram lighter than this, and its present steel coins are a full gram lighter than US "nickels."
Definitive types | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Image | Years | Mass [1] [2] | Diameter [1] [2] | Composition [1] [2] |
1858–1901 | 1.16 g | 15.5 mm | 92.5% silver, 7.5% copper | |
1902–1910 | 1.16 g | 15.5 mm | 92.5% silver, 7.5% copper | |
1911–1921 | 1.17 g | 15.5 mm | 92.5% silver, 7.5% copper (1911–1919) 80% silver, 20% copper (1920–1921) | |
1922–1936 | 4.54 g | 21.21 mm | 99.9% nickel | |
1937–1942 | 4.54 g | 21.21 mm | 99.9% nickel | |
1942–1945 | 4.54 g | 21.3 mm | 88% copper, 12% zinc ("tombac") (1942–1943) Chrome plated steel (1944–1945) | |
1946–1952 | 4.54 g | 21.3 mm | 99.9% nickel (1946–1951) Chrome plated steel (1951–1952) | |
1953–1964 | 4.54 g | 21.3 mm | Chrome plated steel (1953–1954) 99.9% nickel (1955–1964) | |
1965–1981 | 4.54 g | 21.3 mm | 99.9% nickel | |
1982–1989 | 4.6 g | 21.2 mm | 75% copper, 25% nickel | |
1990–2001, 2006 (No "P" on obverse) | 4.6 g | 21.2 mm | 75% copper, 25% nickel | |
1999–2006 (With "P") | 3.95 g | 21.2 mm | 94.5% steel, 3.5% copper, 2% nickel plating | |
2003–2023 (With RCM logo on obverse) | 3.95 g | 21.2 mm | 94.5% steel, 3.5% copper, 2% nickel plating | |
2023–present | 3.95 g | 21.2 mm | 94.5% steel, 3.5% copper, 2% nickel plating |
Year | Mintage [3] [4] | Notes |
---|---|---|
1858 | 1,500,000 | This figure includes the small date, and large date over small date varieties. |
1870 | 2,800,000 | This figure includes the "Flat rim" and "Wire rim" varieties. |
1871 | 1,400,000 | Two different varieties have a 1 over 1 and 7 over 7 in the date. |
1872 H | 2,000,000 | The "H" on the coin refers to "Ralph Heaton & Sons". |
1874 H | 800,000 | This figure includes the "Plain 4" and "Crosslet 4" varieties. |
1875 H | 1,000,000 | This figure includes the small and large date varieties. |
1880 H | 3,000,000 | |
1881 H | 1,500,000 | |
1882 H | 1,000,000 | |
1883 H | 600,000 | |
1884 | 200,000 | Key date, lowest mintage of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. |
1885 | 1,000,000 | This figure includes the "small 5", "large 5", and " large 5 over small 5" varieties. |
1886 | 1,700,000 | This figure includes the "small" and "large 6" varieties. |
1887 | 500,000 | Includes a "7 over 7" date variety. |
1888 | 1,000,000 | |
1889 | 1,200,000 | |
1890 H | 1,000,000 | |
1891 | 1,800,000 | |
1892 | 860,000 | |
1893 | 1,700,000 | |
1894 | 500,000 | No coins were minted in 1895. |
1896 | 1,500,000 | |
1897 | 1,319,283 | Varieties include a "wide" and "narrow" 8, and a "narrow 8 over a wide 8" in the date. |
1898 | 580,717 | |
1899 | 3,000,000 | |
1900 | 1,800,000 | This figure includes the "Oval" and "Round 0's" varieties. |
1901 Victoria | 2,000,000 | |
1902 Edward VII | 2,120,000 | |
1902 H | 2,200,000 | This figure includes the "large broad" and "small narrow" H varieties. |
1903 | 1,000,000 | |
1903 H | 2,640,000 | |
1904 | 2,400,000 | |
1905 | 2,600,000 | Varieties include a "wide" and "narrow" date and a 5 over 5. |
1906 | 3,100,000 | Varieties include a "wide" and "narrow" date and a "low 6". |
1907 | 5,200,000 | Varieties include a "wide" and "narrow" date and a "low 7". |
1908 | 1,220,524 | Varieties include a "small" and "large" 8 in the date. |
1909 | 1,983,725 | This figure includes the "round/rounded" and "pointed" leaves varieties. |
1910 | 3,850,325 | This figure includes the "round/rounded" and "pointed" leaves varieties. |
Year | Mintage [2] | Notes |
---|---|---|
1911 | 3,692,350 | |
1912 | 5,863,170 | |
1913 | 5,588,048 | |
1914 | 4,202,179 | |
1915 | 1,172,258 | |
1916 | 2,481,675 | |
1917 | 5,521,373 | |
1918 | 6,052,289 | |
1919 | 7,835,400 | |
1920 | 10,649,851 | |
1921 | 2,582,495 | Almost all of these coins were melted at the mint. |
1922 | 4,763,186 | |
1923 | 2,475,201 | |
1924 | 3,066,658 | |
1925 | 200,050 | Key date, lowest mintage of the George V/VI eras. |
1926 | 933,577 | This figure includes the "near" and "far" 6 varieties. |
1927 | 5,285,627 | |
1928 | 4,588,725 | |
1929 | 5,562,262 | |
1930 | 3,685,991 | |
1931 | 5,100,830 | |
1932 | 3,198,566 | Varieties include a "near" and "far" 2. |
1933 | 2,597,867 | |
1934 | 3,827,303 | |
1935 | 3,900,000 | |
1936 George V | 4,400,450 | |
1937 George VI | 4,593,263 | |
1938 | 3,898,974 | |
1939 | 5,661,123 | |
1940 | 13,820,197 | |
1941 | 8,681,785 | |
1942 Nickel | 6,847,544 | |
1942 Tombac | 3,396,234 | |
1943 | 24,760,256 [5] | Intended to stimulate the war effort. The message "We Win When We Work Willingly" is engraved in Morse code on the rim of the coin. |
1944 Steel [lower-alpha 1] | 11,532,784 | Intended to stimulate the war effort. The message "We Win When We Work Willingly" is engraved in Morse code on the rim of the coin. |
1945 | 18,893,216 [5] | |
1946 | 6,952,684 | |
1947 | 7,603,724 | The "dot" variety is included in this figure. |
1947 Maple Leaf | 9,595,124 | Obverse "IND: IMP:" aka Indiae Imperator (Emperor of India) removed. |
1948 | 1,810,789 | |
1949 | 13,736,276 | |
1950 | 11,950,520 | |
1951 | 4,313,410 | This figure includes the rare high relief and common low relief varieties. |
1951 Nickel Bicentennial | 9,028,507 [5] | 200th anniversary of the discovery of nickel. Features a nickel refinery. |
1952 | 10,891,148 |
Year | Mintage | Notes |
---|---|---|
1953 | 16,635,552 | This figure includes the "strap", "no strap", and "near"/"far" leaf varieties. |
1954 | 6,998,662 | |
1955 | 5,355,028 | |
1956 | 9,399,854 | |
1957 | 7,387,703 | |
1958 | 7,607,521 | |
1959 | 11,552,523 | |
1960 | 37,157,433 | |
1961 | 47,889,051 | |
1962 | 46,307,305 | |
1963 | 43,970,320 | |
1964 | 78,075,068 | |
1965 | 84,876,018 | This figure includes the "small" and "large" beads varieties. |
1966 | 27,976,648 | |
1967 | 36,876,574 [5] | Canadian Centennial, this nickel features a hopping rabbit and is dated 1867–1967. |
1968 | 99,253,330 | |
1969 | 27,830,229 | |
1970 | 5,726,010 | |
1971 | 27,312,609 | |
1972 | 62,417,387 | |
1973 | 53,507,435 | |
1974 | 94,704,645 | |
1975 | 138,882,000 | |
1976 | 55,140,213 | |
1977 | 89,120,791 | This figure includes the "high" and "low" 7 varieties. |
1978 | 137,079,273 | |
1979 | 186,295,825 | |
1980 | 134,878,000 | |
1981 | 99,107,900 | |
1982 | 105,539,898 | Cupronickel alloy |
1983 | 72,596,000 | |
1984 | 84,088,000 | |
1985 | 126,618,000 | |
1986 | 156,104,000 | |
1987 | 106,299,000 | |
1988 | 75,025,000 | |
1989 | 141,435,538 | |
1990 | 42,537,000 | |
1991 | 10,931,000 | |
1992 | 53,732,000 | 125th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada, this nickel is dated 1867–1992. |
1993 | 86,877,000 | |
1994 | 99,352,000 | |
1995 | 78,780,000 | |
1996 | 36,686,000 | This figure includes the "near" and "far" 6 varieties. |
1997 | 27,354,000 | |
1998 | 156,873,000 | |
1999 | 124,861,000 | About 20,000 coins were minted with a "P" mark under Elizabeth's portrait on the obverse. |
2000 | 108,514,000 | |
2000 P | 2,300,000 | The "P" mark under Elizabeth's portrait on the obverse refers to the nickel plated steel alloy. |
2001 | 30,035,000 | |
2001 P | 136,650,000 | The "P" mark under Elizabeth's portrait on the obverse refers to the nickel plated steel alloy. |
2002 P | 135,960,000 | (1952 - 2002) Elizabeth II Golden Jubliee |
2003 | 61,392,180 [6] | |
2003 P | 31,388,921 [6] | The "P" mark under Elizabeth's portrait on the obverse refers to the nickel plated steel alloy. |
2004 P | 123,925,000 | |
2005 P | 148,082,000 | |
2005 P WWII ANV | 59,269,192 [7] | 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, this nickel is dated 1945–2005. |
2006 | 43,008,000 | |
2006 P | 184,874,000 | |
2007 | 221,472,000 | |
2008 | 278,530,000 | |
2009 | 266,448,000 | |
2010 | 126,800,000 | |
2011 | 230,328,000 | |
2012 | 202,944,000 | |
2013 | 78,120,000 | |
2014 | 66,364,000 | |
2015 | 87,360,000 | |
2016 | 140,952,000 | |
2017 | 126,680,000 | |
2017 150th Anv | 20,000,000 [8] | 150th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada, this nickel is dated 1867–2017. |
2018 | 87,528,000 | |
2019 | 92,736,000 | |
2020 | 31,752,000 | |
2021 | 68,376,000 [9] | |
2022 | 83,328,000 |
Year | Mintage | Notes |
---|---|---|
2023 | 28,422,000 | First year of issue with a bust of Charles III facing left as per custom. |
2024 | TBA |
Date | Mintage | Reason |
---|---|---|
1998 | 25,000 | 90th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Mint. |
2001 | 59,573 | Sesquicentennial of Canada's First Postage Stamp |
2001 | 25,834 | 125th Anniversary of the Royal Military College. |
2002 | 22,646 | 85th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge (WWI). |
2003 | 33,490 | Elizabeth II (Golden Jubilee) |
2004 | 20,019 | 60th anniversary of D-Day. [lower-alpha 2] |
2005 | 42,792 | 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, this nickel is dated 1945–2005. [lower-alpha 3] |
2010 | 4,996 | 75th Anniversary of Canada's Voyageur Silver Dollar. |
2011 | 6,000 | 100th Anniversary of George V on Canadian coins. |
2017 | 8,017 | 150th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada (Centennial Rabbit; 2017 version). |
2017 | 20,000 | 150th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada (Our home and native land). |
2017 | 5,500 | 150th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada (The forgotten 1927 designs). |
2020 | 15,000 | 75th anniversary of VE-Day. [lower-alpha 4] |
2023 | 952,000 | Elizabeth II (Platinum Jubilee). |
Five-cent coins dated 1921 are among the rarest and most collectible Canadian circulation coins, known as "The Prince of Canadian Coins." Estimates of the number of specimens known range between 400 and 480. In May 1921 the government of Canada passed an act authorizing the change to the larger nickel coin, and subsequently the majority of the 1921 mint run was melted down. [10] The coin believed to be the finest known specimen (PCGS MS-67) sold for US$115,000 at auction in January 2010. [11] It was then sold by the Canadian Numismatic Company for $160,000 to a private collector in early 2012.
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $. There is no standard disambiguating form, but the abbreviations Can$, CA$ and C$ are frequently used for distinction from other dollar-denominated currencies. It is divided into 100 cents (¢).
1943 steel cents are U.S. one-cent coins that were struck in steel due to wartime shortages of copper. The Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco mints each produced these 1943 Lincoln cents. The unique composition of the coin has led to various nicknames, such as wartime cent, steel war penny, zinc cent and steelie. The 1943 steel cent features the same Victor David Brenner design for the Lincoln cent which had been in use since 1909.
A nickel is a five-cent coin struck by the United States Mint. Composed of cupronickel, the piece has been issued since 1866. Its diameter is 0.835 inches (21.21 mm) and its thickness is 0.077 inches (1.95 mm).
The Royal Canadian Mint is the mint of Canada and a Crown corporation, operating under the Royal Canadian Mint Act. The shares of the Mint are held in trust for the Crown in right of Canada.
The two-cent piece was produced by the Mint of the United States for circulation from 1864 to 1872 and for collectors in 1873. Designed by James B. Longacre, there were decreasing mintages each year, as other minor coins such as the nickel proved more popular. It was abolished by the Mint Act of 1873.
The Liberty Head nickel, sometimes referred to as the V nickel because of its reverse design, is an American five-cent piece. It was struck for circulation from 1883 until 1912, with at least five pieces being surreptitiously struck dated 1913. The obverse features a left-facing image of the goddess of Liberty.
In Canada, a dime is a coin worth ten cents. It has been the physically smallest Canadian coin since 1922; it is smaller even than the country's penny, despite its higher face value. According to the Royal Canadian Mint, the official national term of the coin is the 10-cent piece, but in practice, the term dime predominates in English-speaking Canada. It is nearly identical in size to the American dime. Unlike its American counterpart, the Canadian dime is magnetic due to a distinct metal composition. From 1968 to 2000, it was composed entirely of nickel, and since 2001, it has consisted of a steel core with plating composed of layers of nickel and copper.
The quarter, short for quarter dollar, is a Canadian coin worth 25 cents or one-fourth of a Canadian dollar. It is a small, circular coin of silver colour. According to the Royal Canadian Mint, the official name for the coin is the 25-cent piece, but in practice it is usually called a "quarter", much like its American counterpart. In Canadian French, it is called a caribou or vingt-cinq sous. The coin is produced at the Royal Canadian Mint's facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The Bermudian dollar is the official currency of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. It is subdivided into 100 cents. The Bermudian dollar is not normally traded outside Bermuda, and is pegged to the United States dollar at a one-to-one ratio. Both currencies circulate in Bermuda on an equal basis.
The American twenty-cent piece is a coin struck from 1875 to 1878, but only for collectors in the final two years. Proposed by Nevada Senator John P. Jones, it proved a failure due to confusion with the quarter, to which it was close in both size and value.
A mint mark is a letter, symbol or an inscription on a coin indicating the mint where the coin was produced. It should not be confused with a mintmaster mark which is the mark of the mintmaster.
The lira was the currency of the Vatican City between 1929 and 2002. It was not a separate currency but an issue of the Italian lira; the Banca d'Italia produced coins specifically for Vatican City.
The piastre de commerce was the currency of French Indochina between 1885 and 1954. It was subdivided into 100 cents, each of 2~6 sapèques.
The Shield nickel was the first United States five-cent piece to be made out of copper-nickel, the same alloy of which American nickels are struck today. Designed by James B. Longacre, the coin was issued from 1866 until 1883, when it was replaced by the Liberty Head nickel. The coin takes its name from the motif on its obverse, and was the first five-cent coin referred to as a "nickel"—silver pieces of that denomination had been known as half dimes.
The coins of Canada are produced by the Royal Canadian Mint and denominated in Canadian dollars ($) and the subunit of dollars, cents (¢). An effigy of the reigning monarch always appears on the obverse of all coins. There are standard images which appear on the reverse, but there are also commemorative and numismatic issues with different images on the reverse.
The voyageur dollar is a coin of Canada that was struck for circulation from 1935 through 1986. Until 1968, the coin was composed of 80% silver. A smaller, nickel version for general circulation was struck from 1968 through 1986. In 1987, the coin was replaced by the loonie. Like all of Canada's discontinued coins, the voyageur dollar coins remain legal tender.
Commemorative coins of Canada are coins issued by the Royal Canadian Mint to commemorate significant persons, special events, and anniversaries.
The coinage metals comprise those metallic chemical elements and alloys which have been used to mint coins. Historically, most coinage metals are from the three nonradioactive members of group 11 of the periodic table: copper, silver and gold. Copper is usually augmented with tin or other metals to form bronze. Gold, silver and bronze or copper were the principal coinage metals of the ancient world, the medieval period and into the late modern period when the diversity of coinage metals increased. Coins are often made from more than one metal, either using alloys, coatings (cladding/plating) or bimetallic configurations. While coins are primarily made from metal, some non-metallic materials have also been used.
The copper-nickel three-cent piece, often called a three-cent nickel piece or three-cent nickel, was designed by US Mint Chief Engraver James B. Longacre and struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint from 1865 to 1889. It was initially popular, but its place in commerce was supplanted by the five-cent piece, or nickel.
The three-cent silver, also known as the three-cent piece in silver or trime, was struck by the Mint of the United States for circulation from 1851 to 1872, and as a proof coin in 1873. Designed by the Mint's chief engraver, James B. Longacre, it circulated well while other silver coinage was being hoarded and melted, but once that problem was addressed, became less used. It was abolished by Congress with the Coinage Act of 1873.