Canada's Small Silver
These are the coins that actually jingled in people's pockets: four denominations, four kings and queens, and some of the best designs Canada ever put on metal.
Jump to: Half dollars · Caribou quarters · Bluenose dimes · Fish scale nickels
50¢: Half dollars
If Canadian silver had a heavyweight division, the half dollar would be the champ. It's the biggest silver coin most Canadians ever carried, with almost a third of an ounce of silver inside.
| Silver | up to 1967 (80% from 1920) |
| Weight | 11.66 g |
| Diameter | 29.72 mm |
| Silver inside | about 0.30 oz |
Two coats of arms
1937–1958: Kruger Gray. A clean, bold take on the arms, with no helmet, no motto ribbon and a big crown. 1959–1966: Shingles. Redrawn to match the updated official arms, with St. Edward's Crown, the helmet and the A Mari Usque Ad Mare ribbon. Put a 1958 next to a 1959: once you see it, you can't unsee it.
Three portraits
George VI (1937–1952), young Elizabeth II by Mary Gillick (1953–1964) and the tiara portrait by Arnold Machin (1965 on). One handful of halves can show all three.
Dates to hunt
- 1948: only 37,784 made. The key date of the George VI halves.
- 1947: 463,318 in total, 424,885 regular plus 38,433 with the tiny maple leaf.
- 1955: only 753,511 made, low for an Elizabeth II half.
- 1953: 1,630,429 made, in "no strap" and "shoulder strap" varieties.
- 1967: still 80% silver, with Colville's howling wolf for the centennial.
Deep dive: Canadian Silver Half Dollars: The Collector's Guide.
Shop the half-dollar bundle (3, 5 or 10 coins).
25¢: Caribou quarters
In 1937 Canada got a new king and a whole new set of coins. Sculptor Emanuel Hahn gave the quarter the head of a caribou: bold, simple, and still on the quarter today. That makes it one of the longest-running designs in Canadian coin history.
| Silver | up to 1967 (80% from 1920); 1967–68 also 50% |
| Weight | 5.83 g |
| Diameter | 23.62 mm (1920–52), 23.88 mm (1953–67) |
| Silver inside | about 0.15 oz |
The 1947 maple leaf
With "Emperor of India" coming off the coins and the new dies running late, the Mint struck coins in 1948 from the 1947 dies and marked them with a tiny maple leaf. The quarter comes in three 1947 versions: regular, dot and maple leaf.
Dates to hunt
- 1954: only 2,318,891 made, low for an Elizabeth II quarter.
- 1953: "with" and "without" shoulder strap varieties.
- 1947 maple leaf: get a magnifier on every '47.
- 1967: Colville's prowling bobcat for the centennial, in 80% or 50% silver.
Deep dive: Caribou Quarters & Bluenose Dimes.
Shop the caribou quarter bundle (3, 5 or 10 coins).
10¢: Bluenose dimes
Emanuel Hahn designed this one too: a schooner under full sail, based on photos of the Bluenose, the famous racing schooner out of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. It's small, it's affordable, and it makes a perfect first silver coin.
| Silver | up to 1967 (80% from 1920); 1967–68 also 50% |
| Weight | 2.33 g |
| Diameter | 18.03 mm |
| Silver inside | about 0.06 oz |
The classic challenge
Try to find every date of the silver Bluenose from 1937 to 1966. It's the classic Canadian date run, and it makes a sick little display once it's done.
Dates to hunt
- 1948: only 422,741 made, the lowest of any silver dime from 1937–1966.
- 1947 maple leaf: the dime has one too.
- 1967: Colville's Atlantic mackerel for the centennial, in 80% or 50% silver.
Deep dive: Caribou Quarters & Bluenose Dimes.
Shop the Bluenose dime bundle (3, 5 or 10 coins).
5¢: "Fish scale" nickels
Before 1922, Canada's 5¢ piece was a sliver of real silver, smaller than a modern dime and way thinner. It was so small people nicknamed it the "fish scale," and the name stuck. In 1922 Canada switched to the bigger nickel coin we know today.
| Silver | 1858–1921 (sterling to 1919, then 80%) |
| Weight | about 1.17 g |
| Diameter | 15.5 mm |
| Silver inside | about 0.03 oz |
Three monarchs
Queen Victoria (1858–1901), Edward VII (1902–1910) and George V (1911–1921). On the back you'll find the denomination and date in a wreath under a crown.
Dates to hunt
- 1921: 2,582,495 struck and nearly all melted. About 400 are believed to survive. "The Prince of Canadian Coins."
- 1911: the "Godless" year, with DEI GRA dropped from the King's side.
- 1915: 1,172,258 made.
- 1908: 1,197,780 made.
- 1909: 1,890,865 made.
Deep dive: Canadian "Fish Scale" Nickels.
Shop the fish scale bundle (3, 5 or 10 coins).
Start your collection
Every bundle is genuine circulated Canadian silver in a velvet pouch. Open it, sort by date and see which kings and queens you've got. Browse all our Canadian silver coin bundles, or check if your own coins are silver with Is My Canadian Coin Silver?