50 cents

From Sea to Sea – the 50-cent Coin

The 50-cent coin bears the Canadian Coat of Arms, given to Canada by King George V via Royal Proclamation in 1921. The Arms feature the arms of England, Scotland, Ireland and France with a sprig of three maples leaves. The inscription, "A Mari usque ad Mare," means "from sea to sea," while the second inscription, "Desiderantes meliorem patriam," means "they desire a better country” and is the motto of the Order of Canada. The current design was produced by former Royal Canadian Mint engraver Thomas Shingles and was first used in 1959.

Although it is infrequently used for trade and commerce, the coin remains popular with coin collectors and the Mint strikes a few thousand 50-cent coins every year.

Reverse Side Designs

1858 – 1936

The crossed maple boughs

The design of two crossed maple boughs appears on all 10-cent, 25-cent, and 50-cent coins from 1858 to 1936.

 

1937 – 1958

The simplified Coat of Arms

A simplified version of Canada's Coat of Arms was created in 1937 for the 50-cent coin as part of an initiative to modernize Canada's circulation coins.

 

1959 – 1966, 1968 – present

The modified Coat of Arms

The Canadian Government approved a new Coat of Arms in 1957. In 1959 it appeared on the 50-cent coin, where it remains to this day.

 

1967

The centennial 50-cent coin

Alex Colville created a special set of coin designs to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Canadian confederation; the 50-cent coin features a howling wolf.

 

1997 – present

The modified Coat of Arms

In 1994, the motto of the Order of Canada was added to the Coat of Arms, which is the version of the coin produced today.

Technical Specifications

1908 – 1919

Composition: 92.5% silver, 7.5% copper
Weight (g): 11.62
Diameter (mm): 29.72
Thickness (mm): n/a

 

1920 – 1967

Composition: 80% silver, 20% copper
Weight (g): 11.66
Diameter (mm): 29.72
Thickness (mm): n/a

 

1968 – 1979

Composition: 99% nickel (minimum)
Weight (g): 8.1
Diameter (mm): 27.13
Thickness (mm): 1.93

 

1980 – 1999

Composition: 99% nickel (minimum)
Weight (g): 8.1
Diameter (mm): 27.13
Thickness (mm): 1.9

 

2000 – present

Composition: 93.15% steel, 4.75% copper, 2.1% nickel plating
Weight (g): 6.9
Diameter (mm): 27.13
Thickness (mm): 1.95

Mintages

1908 – 1909
Year Mintage
1908 128,119
1909 203,118

 

1910 – 1919
Year Mintage
1910 649,521
1911 209,972
1912 285,867
1913 265,889
1914 160,128
1915 0
1916 459,070
1917 752,213
1918 854,989
1919 1,113,429

 

1920 – 1929
Year Mintage
1920 584,429
1921 206,398
1922 0
1923 0
1924 0
1925 0
1926 0
1927 0
1928 0
1929 228,328

 

1930 – 1939
Year Mintage
1930 0
1931 57,581
1932 19,213
1933 0
1934 39,539
1935 0
1936 38,550
1937 192,016
1938 192,018
1939 287,976

 

1940 – 1949
Year Mintage
1940 1,996,566
1941 1,714,874
1942 1,974,165
1943 3,109,583
1944 2,460,205
1945 1,959,528
1946 950,235
1947 463,318
1948 37,784
1949 858,991

 

1950 – 1959
Year Mintage
1950 2,384,179
1951 2,421,730
1952 2,596,465
1953 1,630,429
1954 506,305
1955 753,511
1956 1,379,499
1957 2,171,689
1958 2,957,266
1959 3,095,535

 

1960 – 1969
Year Mintage
1960 3,488,897
1961 3,584,417
1962 5,208,030
1963 8,348,871
1964 9,377,676
1965 12,629,974
1966 7,683,228
1967 4,211,395
1968 3,966,932
1969 7,113,929

 

1970 – 1979
Year Mintage
1970 2,429,516
1971 2,166,144
1972 2,515,632
1973 2,546,096
1974 3,436,650
1975 3,710,000
1976 2,646,000
1977 709,939
1978 3,341,892
1979 3,425,000

 

1980 – 1989
Year Mintage
1980 1,943,155
1981 2,588,900
1982 2,884,572
1983 1,177,000
1984 1,502,989
1985 2,188,374
1986 781,400
1987 373,000
1988 220,000
1989 266,419

 

1990 – 1999
Year Mintage
1990 207,000
1991 490,000
1992 248,000
1993 393,000
1994 987,000
1995 626,000
1996 458,000
1997 387,000
1998 308,000
1999 496,000

 

2000 – 2009
Year Mintage
2000 559,000
2001 403,000
2002 14,440,000
2003 0
2004 0
2005 200,000
2006 98,000
2007 250,000
2008 211,000
2009 150,000

 

2010 – present
Year Mintage
2010 150,000
2011 175,000
2012 250,000
2013 375,000
2014 500,000
2015 625,000
2016 800,000
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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