5 cents

Industrious, Enduring–the 5‑cent Coin

The beaver has a long history as both a commodity and a cultural icon. It has appeared in the heraldic bearings of Québec City and Montréal and even marked Canada's first postage stamp. The beaver coin design was created by artist G.E. Kruger-Gray and was first used in 1937.

Reverse Side Designs

1858 – 1921

The crossed maple boughs

The two crossed maple boughs appeared on all 5-cent coins from 1858 to 1921. These coins were nicknamed "fish scales" for their tiny size; their diameter is only 15.5 mm – smaller than the current dime!

 

1922 – 1936

The two maple leaves

W.H.J. Blackmore's redesign of the 5-cent coin coincided with the increase of the coin's diameter.

 

1937 – 1942, 1946 – 1950, 1952 – 1966, 1968 – present

The beaver

The beaver design was created in 1937 by G.E. Kruger-Gray as part of a coin modernization effort.

 

1942 – 1963

The 12-sided coin

5-cent coins were made of nickel from 1921 to 1942. However, nickel's importance in the production of war materials demanded the development of another metal for coinage. Tombac, a kind of brass, was chosen as the replacement and was used until 1946. The 5-cent coin featured 12 sides to distinguish it from the 1-cent coin.

 

1943 – 1945

The victory coin

Thomas Shingles created and engraved this design 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.

 

1951

The identification of nickel

In 1751, Swedish scientist A.F. Cronstedt successfully identified and named nickel. Canada, the world's largest nickel producer at the time, commemorated the discovery with Stephen Trenka's design depicting a nickel refinery.

 

1967

The centennial 5-cent coin

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Confederation, Alex Colville created a special set of designs for all coin denominations. The 5-cent coin features a hopping hare.

 

2005

60th Anniversary Victory Nickel

The 2005 Victory Anniversary Nickel honours the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. This special circulation coin is a representation of the 5-cent coin created in 1943 to promote the Canadian war effort.

 

2017

Canada 150

My Canada, My Inspiration: Living Traditions

2017 150th anniversary of Confederation Living Traditions by Gerald Gloade, one of five winners of the My Canada, My Inspiration contest.

Technical Specifications

1908 – 1919

Composition: 92.5% silver, 7.5% copper
Weight (g): 1.167
Diameter (mm): 14.494
Thickness (mm): n/a

 

1920 – 1921

Composition: 80% silver, 20% copper
Weight (g): 1.167
Diameter (mm): 14.494
Thickness (mm): n/a

 

1922 – 1942

Composition: 99% nickel
Weight (g): 4.54
Diameter (mm): 21.21
Thickness (mm): 1.7

 

1942 – 1943

Composition: 88% copper, 12% zinc (tombac)
Weight (g): 4.54
Diameter (mm): 21.21
Thickness (mm): 1.7

 

1944 – 1945

Composition: chrome plated steel
Weight (g): 4.54
Diameter (mm): 21.21
Thickness (mm): 1.7

 

1946 – 1951

Composition: 99.9% nickel
Weight (g): 4.54
Diameter (mm): 21.21
Thickness (mm): 1.7

 

1951 – 1954

Composition: chrome plated steel
Weight (g): 4.54
Diameter (mm): 21.21
Thickness (mm): 1.7

 

1955 – 1981

Composition: 99.9% nickel
Weight (g): 4.54
Diameter (mm): 21.21
Thickness (mm): 1.7

 

1982 – 1999

Composition: 75% copper, 25% nickel
Weight (g): 4.6
Diameter (mm): 21.2
Thickness (mm): 1.76

 

2000 – present

Composition: 94.5% steel, 3.5% copper, 2% nickel plating
Weight (g): 3.95
Diameter (mm): 21.2
Thickness (mm): 1.76

Mintages

1908 – 1909
Year Mintage
1908 1,197,780
1909 1,890,865

 

1910 – 1919
Year Mintage
1910 5,850,325
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 – 1929
Year Mintage
1920 10,649,851
1921 2,582,495
1922 4,763,186
1923 2,475,201
1924 3,066,658
1925 200,050
1926 933,577
1927 5,285,627
1928 4,588,725
1929 5,562,262

 

1930 – 1939
Year Mintage
1930 3,685,991
1931 5,100,830
1932 3,198,566
1933 2,597,867
1934 3,827,303
1935 3,900,000
1936 4,400,450
1937 4,593,263
1938 3,898,974
1939 5,661,123

 

1940 – 1949
Year Mintage
1940 13,820,197
1941 8,681,785
1942 10,243,778
1943 24,760,256
1944 11,532,784
1945 18,893,216
1946 6,952,684
1947 17,198,848
1948 1,810,789
1949 13,736,276

 

1950 – 1959
Year Mintage
1950 11,950,520
1951 12,642,641
1952 10,891,148
1953 16,635,552
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 – 1969
Year Mintage
1960 37,157,433
1961 47,889,051
1962 46,307,305
1963 43,970,320
1964 78,075,068
1965 84,876,018
1966 27,976,648
1967 36,876,574
1968 99,253,330
1969 27,830,229

 

1970 – 1979
Year Mintage
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
1978 137,079,273
1979 186,295,825

 

1980 – 1989
Year Mintage
1980 134,878,000
1981 99,107,900
1982 105,539,898
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 – 1999
Year Mintage
1990 42,537,000
1991 10,931,000
1992 53,732,000
1993 86,877,000
1994 99,352,000
1995 78,780,000
1996 36,686,000
1997 27,354,000
1998 156,873,000
1999 124,861,000

 

2000 – 2009
Year Mintage
2000 108,514,000
2001 166,686,000
2002 135,960,000
2003 101,793,000
2004 123,925,000
2005 148,082,000
2006 184,874,000
2007 221,472,000
2008 278,530,000
2009 266,448,000

 

2010 – 2019
Year Mintage
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
2018 87,528,000
2019 92,736,000

 

2020 – present
Year Mintage
2020 31,752,000
Canadian Circulation
Over 1 billion circulation coins are minted each year at our high-tech plant in Winnipeg. We not only produce all of Canada’s circulation coins, we also manage the national coin supply – from weekly forecasting, to production, to recycling and eventual retirement.
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