# Canadian fifty-cent coin

The Canadian fifty-cent coin (French: pièce de cinquante cents) is a Canadian coin worth 50 cents. The coin's reverse depicts the coat of arms of Canada. At the opening ceremonies for the Ottawa branch of the Royal Mint, held on January 2, 1908, Governor General Earl Grey struck the Dominion of Canada's first domestically produced coin. It was a silver fifty-cent coin bearing the effigy of King Edward VII.
Though it is regularly minted, it is not made in large quantities (approximate annual average production of 150,000), and since 2004 has only been available to the public directly from the mint. It is very rare to encounter this denomination in everyday transactions, since there seems to be the mistaken belief among many Canadians that the coin itself is rare. Most times, when a 50-cent coin is exchanged in a transaction, it is saved by its recipient. People quite commonly, upon being presented with 50-cent coins, question the legality of the coin, because of the non-circulating status of the denomination. The coin occupies a similar status to that of the United States half-dollar coin. Vending machines do not generally accept it, even when they accept coins of both higher and lower value.
A largely unsuccessful attempt was made by the Royal Canadian Mint to promote the use of the coin when a special edition was released in 2002 marking the 50th anniversary of the accession of Elizabeth II to the throne. After this failed promotion, the mint stopped distributing 50-cent coins to banks and now sells them only in rolls or in coin sets available directly from their Numismatic Department at twice their face value, or $25 per roll of 25 coins.
The mint's website lists the 2007 coat of arms 50-cent coin as "rarely seen yet replete with tradition".

## History

During the early to mid-1920s, demand for 50-cent coins was minimal. Only 28,000 coins were issued between 1921 and 1929. When greater demand for the denomination arose in 1929, the Master of the Ottawa Mint decided to melt the stock of 1920 and 1921 coins. It amounted to a total of 480,392 coins. The decision was due to the belief that the public would suspect counterfeits if a large number of coins dated 1920 and 1921 were placed into circulation. It is believed that 75 or so of the 1921 coins have survived, mainly from sets that were sold at the time.

## Composition and size

| Years | Mass | Diameter | Thickness | Composition |
| 1870–1919 | 11.62 g | 29.72 mm | n/a | 92.5% silver, 7.5% copper |
| 1920–1967 | 11.66 g | 29.72 mm | n/a | 80% silver, 20% copper |
| 1968–2000 | 8.10 g | 27.13 mm | 1.93 mm | 99.9% nickel |
| 2001–present | 6.90 g | 27.13 mm | 1.95 mm | 93.15% steel, 4.75% copper, 2.1% nickel plating |

## Circulation figures
### Elizabeth II

| Year | Mintage | Notes |
| 1953 No strap | 1,630,429 | This variety is also called with/without shoulder fold. |
| 1953 Strap | 1,630,429 | This variety is also called with/without shoulder fold. |
| 1954 | 506,305 | |
| 1955 | 753,511 | |
| 1956 | 1,379,499 | |
| 1957 | 2,171,689 | |
| 1958 | 2,957,266 | Large reverse design, simple coat of arms. |
| 1959 | 3,095,535 | Small reverse design, complete coat of arms. |
| 1960 | 3,488,897 | |
| 1961 | 3,584,417 | |
| 1962 | 5,208,030 | |
| 1963 | 8,348,871 | |
| 1964 | 9,377,676 | 1st obverse portrait |
| 1965 | 12,629,974 | 2nd obverse portrait |
| 1966 | 7,920,496 | Last regular issue coin in silver. |
| 1967 | 4,211,392 | Canadian Centennial, this half dollar features a howling wolf and is dated 1867–1967. |
| 1968 | 3,966,932 | |
| 1969 | 7,113,929 | |
| 1970 | 2,429,526 | |
| 1971 | 2,166,444 | |
| 1972 | 2,515,632 | |
| 1973 | 2,546,096 | |
| 1974 | 3,436,650 | |
| 1975 | 3,710,000 | |
| 1976 | 2,940,719 | |
| 1977 | 709,839 | |
| 1978 | 3,341,892 | This figure includes the "square" and "round" jewels varieties. |
| 1979 | 3,425,000 | |
| 1980 | 1,574,000 | |
| 1981 | 2,690,272 | |
| 1982 | 2,236,674 | This figure includes the "small" and "large" beads varieties. |
| 1983 | 1,177,000 | |
| 1984 | 1,502,989 | |
| 1985 | 2,188,374 | |
| 1986 | 781,400 | |
| 1987 | 373,000 | From this date forward, halves were generally minted in smaller amounts. |
| 1988 | 220,000 | |
| 1989 | 266,419 | 2nd obverse portrait |
| 1990 | 207,000 | 3rd obverse portrait |
| 1991 | 490,000 | |
| 1992 | 445,000 | 125th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada, this half is dated 1867–1992. |
| 1993 | 393,000 | |
| 1994 | 987,000 | |
| 1995 | 626,000 | |
| 1996 | 458,000 | |
| 1997 | 387,000 | Revised coat of arms on the reverse. |
| 1998 | 308,000 | |
| 1999 | 496,000 | |
| 2000 | 559,000 | Struck in nickel |
| 2001 P | 389,000 | Struck in nickel plated steel (P). |
| 2002 P (GJ) | 14,440,000 | (1952 - 2002) Elizabeth II Golden Jubliee |
| 2003 P | — | Canadian half dollars minted since 2003 are not for circulation. |

## Commemoratives

| Date | Mintage | Artist | Reason |
| 1998 | 43,269 | William Henry James Blakemore | 90th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Mint |
| 1998 | 14,000 | F. G. Peter | 110th anniversary of speed and figure skating |
| 1998 | 14,000 | F. G. Peter | 100th anniversary of ski racing |
| 1998 | 56,428 | Friedrich Peter | 110 years of Canadian soccer |
| 1998 | 56,428 | Friedrich Peter | 20 years of Canadian auto racing |
| 1999 | 52,115 | D. H. Curley | 95th anniversary of the 1904 Open Golf Championship |
| 1999 | 52,115 | D. H. Curley | 125th anniversary of the first Canadian vs US Yacht Race |
| 1999 | 52,115 | D. H. Curley | 100th anniversary of the first competition for the Grey Cup |
| 1999 | 52,115 | D. H. Curley | 60th anniversary of the invention of basketball |
| 2000 | 50,091 | Brian Hughes | 125th anniversary of the first recorded modern hockey game |
| 2000 | 50,091 | Brian Hughes | 240th anniversary of the introduction of curling to North America |
| 2000 | 50,091 | Brian Hughes | 160th anniversary of the first steeplechase held in North America |
| 2000 | 50,091 | Brian Hughes | Birth of the first 5-pin bowling league |
| 2002 | 65,315 | Thomas Shingles | Elizabeth II (Golden Jubilee; non-circulating silver proof) |
| 2003 | 21,537 | Mary Gillick | Elizabeth II (Golden Jubilee) |
| 2005 | 20,000 | Peter Mossman | 60th anniversary of the end of World War II – Battle of Britain |
| 2005 | 20,000 | Peter Mossman | 60th anniversary of the end of World War II – Battle of Scheldt |
| 2005 | 20,000 | Peter Mossman | 60th anniversary of the end of World War II – Battle of Sicily |
| 2005 | 20,000 | Peter Mossman | 60th anniversary of the end of World War II – Battle of the Atlantic |
| 2005 | 20,000 | Peter Mossman | 60th anniversary of the end of World War II – Liberation of the Netherlands |
| 2005 | 20,000 | Peter Mossman | 60th anniversary of the end of World War II – Raid of Dieppe |
| 2008 | 3,248 | William Henry James Blakemore | 100th anniversary of Royal Canadian Mint |
| 2008 | 25,004 | Various | 100th anniversary of the Montreal Canadiens |
| 2011 | 6,000 | William Henry James Blakemore | 100th anniversary of George V on Canadian coins |
| 2012 | 30,900 | Christie Paquet | Elizabeth II (Diamond Jubilee) |
| 2012 | 14,997 | Yves Bérubé | 100th anniversary of Titanic |
| 2012 | 5,988 | Christie Paquet | 150th anniversary of the Cariboo Gold Rush |
| 2013 | 24,967 | DC Comics | 75th anniversary of Superman |
| 2014 | 15,000 | Yves Bérubé | 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Empress of Ireland |
| 2014 | 4,746 | Matthew Bowen | 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown and Québec Conferences |
| 2015 | 5,102 | Pierre Leduc | 50th anniversary of the Canadian flag |
| 2017 | 8,017 | — | 150th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada (Centennial Wolf; 2017 version) |
| 2017 | 20,000 | Ariana Cuvin | 150th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada (Canada 150 logo; silver proof) |
| 2017 | 4,000 | — | 100th anniversary of the 50-cent coin |
| 2018 | 4,000 | — | 75th anniversary of George VI on the 1943 half-dollar |
| 2018 | Unknown | Steve McPhee | 200th anniversary of the 49th Parallel |
| 2019 | 2,500 | Thomas Shingles | 60th anniversary of the 50-cent coin (1959–2019) |
| 2021 | 250,000 | George Kruger Gray | 100th anniversary of the Canadian Coat of Arms |
| 2023 | 20,000 | Cathy Bursey-Sabourin | Elizabeth II (Platinum Jubilee; silver proof) |
| 2024 | 7,500 | Cathy Bursey-Sabourin | Elizabeth II (Platinum Jubilee) |

## Collecting

Known as the "king of Canadian coins", the 1921 Canadian half-dollar is rare, with a high-grade example (PCGS MS-66) having sold for US$227,546 in a January 2010 Heritage Auction. The highest-graded specimen is graded by PCGS at MS-67 and was last sold (by Diverse Equities) in the year 2000 to a private collector for the US$400,000.