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	137,499
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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