Canadian fifty-cent coin

The denomination has seen limited public use since the mid-20th century due to low demand, yet it remains part of Canada's official currency system and appears in annual mint sets and commemorative releases. The mint's website lists the 2007 50-cent coin as "rarely seen yet replete with tradition".

• Country — Canada • Denomination — Fifty cents • Value — 0.50 • Unit — Canadian dollar • Mass — 6.9 • Diameter — 27.13 • Thickness — 1.95 • Edge — Milled • Composition — Nickel-plated steel 93.15% steel, 4.75% Cu, 2.1% Ni plating • Years Of Minting — 1870–present • Obverse Design — Charles III, King of Canada • Obverse Designer — Steven Rosati • Obverse Design Date — 2023 • Reverse Design — Canadian coat of arms • Reverse Designer — Cathy Bursey-Sabourin • Reverse Design Date — 1997

At the opening ceremonies for the Ottawa branch of the Royal Mint on January 2, 1908, Governor General Earl Grey struck Canada's first domestically produced coin: a silver 50-cent coin bearing the effigy of King Edward VII. The 50-cent coin bears the coat of arms given to Canada by King George V in 1921. The inscriptions included on the coin are: • A Mari usque ad Mare • Desiderantes Meliorem Patrium Demand for 50-cent coins was low during the early to mid-1920s, and only 28,000 coins were issued between 1921 and 1929. When demand increased briefly in 1929, the master of the Ottawa Mint ordered the melting of the remaining 1920 and 1921 coins, totalling 480,392 pieces. The decision was based on concerns that releasing a large number of coins dated 1920 and 1921 might lead the public to suspect counterfeits. Approximately 75 examples of the 1921 issue are believed to survive, mostly from specimen sets sold at the time. Although the denomination is rarely used in everyday transactions, it remains popular among coin collectors and within numismatic communities. In 2002, the Royal Canadian Mint made an unsuccessful attempt to promote circulation of the coin by issuing a special edition marking the 50th anniversary of the accession of Elizabeth II. After this failed promotion, the mint ceased distributing 50-cent coins to banks. They are now available only in rolls or in numismatic sets sold directly by the mint, typically at twice their face value, for example $25 per roll of 25 coins. The royal effigy of King Charles III, introduced in 2023, was designed by Canadian artist Steven Rosati.

• Illustration — 1871 Canadian 50-cent coin • Year — Mintage — Notes • 1870 — 450,000 • 1870 LCW • 1871 — 200,000 • 1871 H — 45,000 • 1872 H — 80,000 — This figure includes the inverted "A" for "V" in Victoria variety. • 1881 H — 150,000 • 1888 — 60,000 • 1890 H — 20,000 • 1892 — 151,000 • 1894 — 29,036 • 1898 — 100,000 • 1899 — 50,000 • 1900 — 118,000 • 1901 Victoria — 80,000 • 1902 Edward VII — 120,000 • 1903 H — 140,000 • 1904 — 60,000 • 1905 — 40,000 • 1906 — 350,000 • 1907 — 300,000 • 1908 — 128,119 • 1909 — 302,118 • 1910 Victorian leaves — 649,521 — The leaves on the reverse were slightly modified. • 1910 Edwardian leaves

• Year — Mintage — Notes • 1911 no "Dei gra gratia" — 209,972 — The words by the grace of God were removed from the obverse of the coin to make room for. • 1912 with "Dei gra" — 285,867 — "Dei gra" was later restored in 1912 after public backlash for "godless" coins. • 1913 — 265,889 • 1914 — 160,128 • 1916 — 459,070 • 1917 — 752,213 • 1918 — 754,989 • 1919 — 1,113,429 • 1920 — 584,691 • 1921 — Unknown — Only 75 to 100 coins are known to exist. • 1929 — 228,328 • 1931 — 57,581 • 1932 — 19,213 — As coin collecting was becoming widely popular, many of these coins were saved. • 1934 — 39,539 • 1936 — 38,550 • 1937 — 192,016 • 1938 — 192,018 • 1939 — 287,976 • 1940 — 1,996,566 • 1941 — 1,714,874 • 1942 — 1,974,164 • 1943 — 3,109,583 • 1944 — 2,460,205 • 1945 — 1,959,528 • 1946 — 950,235 — This figure includes the "hoof in 6" variety. • 1947 — 424,885 • 1947 ML — 38,433 — Obverse Emperor of India removed • 1948 — 37,784 • 1949 — 858,991 — This figure includes the "hoof over 9" variety. • 1950 — 2,384,179 — This figure includes the "lines" and "no lines" in 0 varieties. • 1951 — 2,421,730 • 1952 — 2,596,465

• Illustration — 1967 Canadian Centennial 50-cent coin (reverse side) • Year — Mintage — Notes • 1953 no strap — 1,630,429 — This variety is also called with/without shoulder fold. • 1953 strap • 1954 — 506,305 • 1955 — 753,511 • 1956 — 1,379,499 • 1957 — 2,171,689 • 1958 — 2,957,266 — Large reverse design, simple Canadian 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 coin 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, 50¢ coins 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 Confederation; this coin is dated 1867–1992. • 1993 — 393,000 • 1994 — 987,000 • 1995 — 626,000 • 1996 — 458,000 • 1997 — 387,000 — Revised Canadian coat of arms on the reverse • 1998 — 308,000 • 1999 — 496,000 • 2000 — 559,000 — Struck in nickel • 2001 P — 389,000 • 2002 P (GJ) — 14,440,000 — (1952–2002) Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee • 2003 P — — — 50¢ coins minted since 2003 are not for circulation. • 2004 — 0 • 2005 — 200,000 • 2006 — 98,000 • 2007 — 250,000 • 2008 — 211,000 • 2009 — 150,000 • 2010 — 150,000 • 2011 — 175,000 • 2012 — 250,000 • 2013 — 375,000 • 2014 — 500,000 • 2015 — 625,000 • 2016 — 800,000 • 2017 — 875,000 — Includes sesquicentennial commemorative coin • 2018 — 750,000 • 2019 — 750,000 • 2020 — 750,000 • 2021 — 375,000 • 2022 — 375,000 • 2023 — Undetermined

• Year — Mintage — Notes • 2023 — Undetermined — First year of issue with the effigy of King Charles III on the obverse • 2024 — * Specimen 30,000 * Proof 20,000 — Available through mint rolls and sets • 2025 — Specimen 30,000 — Available through mint rolls and sets • 2026 — Undetermined — Available through mint rolls and sets

• Date — Mintage — Artist — Reason • William Henry James Blakemore — 90th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Mint • F.G. Peter — 110th anniversary of speed and figure skating • F.G. Peter — 100th anniversary of ski racing • Friedrich Peter — 110 years of Canadian soccer • Friedrich Peter — 20 years of Canadian auto racing • D.H. Curley — 95th anniversary of the 1904 Open Golf Championship • D.H. Curley — 125th anniversary of the first Canadian vs US Yacht Race • D.H. Curley — 100th anniversary of the first competition for the Grey Cup • D.H. Curley — 60th anniversary of the invention of basketball • Brian Hughes — 125th anniversary of the first recorded modern hockey game • Brian Hughes — 240th anniversary of the introduction of curling to North America • Brian Hughes — 160th anniversary of the first steeplechase held in North America • Brian Hughes — Birth of the first 5-pin bowling league • Thomas Shingles — Elizabeth II (Golden Jubilee; non-circulating silver proof) • Mary Gillick — Elizabeth II (Golden Jubilee) • Peter Mossman — 60th anniversary of the end of World War II – Battle of Britain • Peter Mossman — 60th anniversary of the end of World War II – Battle of Scheldt • Peter Mossman — 60th anniversary of the end of World War II – Battle of Sicily • Peter Mossman — 60th anniversary of the end of World War II – Battle of the Atlantic • Peter Mossman — 60th anniversary of the end of World War II – Liberation of the Netherlands • Peter Mossman — 60th anniversary of the end of World War II – Raid of Dieppe • William Henry James Blakemore — 100th anniversary of Royal Canadian Mint • Various — 100th anniversary of the Montreal Canadiens • William Henry James Blakemore — 100th anniversary of George V on Canadian coins • Christie Paquet — Elizabeth II (Diamond Jubilee) • Yves Bérubé — 100th anniversary of Titanic • Christie Paquet — 150th anniversary of the Cariboo Gold Rush • DC Comics — 75th anniversary of Superman • Yves Bérubé — 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Empress of Ireland • Matthew Bowen — 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown and Québec Conferences • Pierre Leduc — 50th anniversary of the Canadian flag • 150th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada (Centennial Wolf; 2017 version) • Ariana Cuvin — 150th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada (Canada 150 logo; silver proof) • 100th anniversary of the 50-cent coin • 75th anniversary of George VI on the 1943 50-cent coin • Unknown — Steve McPhee — 200th anniversary of the 49th Parallel • Thomas Shingles — 60th anniversary of the 50-cent coin (1959–2019) • George Kruger Gray — 100th anniversary of the Canadian Coat of Arms • Cathy Bursey-Sabourin — Elizabeth II (Platinum Jubilee; silver proof) • Cathy Bursey-Sabourin — Elizabeth II (Platinum Jubilee)

Known as the "king of Canadian coins", the 1921 Canadian 50-cent coin 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.