1871 H Canadian 50 Cent Coin
The 1871 H Canadian 50 Cent is a Canadian 50 cent coin struck for circulation with 45,000 made. Value band: collector premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1871
- Circulation mintage
- 45,000
- Value band
- Collector premium
- Composition
- Sterling silver (92.5% silver)
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is an 1871 H Canadian 50 Cent worth?
With 45,000 struck, the 1871 H Canadian 50 Cent ranks 9th lowest of the 125 circulating Canadian 50 cent coins we track. Collectors pay a collector premium even for worn examples. Sharp, uncirculated coins with no marks bring considerably more.
What would make yours worth more:
- Sharp detail with original luster
- A recognized variety for the date
- Professional grading for a key date
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 1871 H Canadian 50 Cent rare?
- Yes, by the standards of Canadian 50 cent coins. With 45,000 struck, the 1871 H Canadian 50 Cent ranks 9th lowest of the 125 circulating Canadian 50 cent coins we track.
- How many 1871 H Canadian 50 cent coins were made?
- 45,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1871 H Canadian 50 Cent made of?
- Sterling silver (92.5% silver). It weighs 11.62 g and measures 29.72 mm.
- Is the 1871 H Canadian 50 Cent still legal tender?
- Yes. Canadian 50 cent coins are legal tender, but a silver one is worth more for its metal than its face value.
The 1871 50 cent coin in context
In 1871 Canada's silver order was split between two mints. London struck 200,000 50 cent pieces, while the private Heaton mint in Birmingham, run by Ralph Heaton and Sons, added another 45,000. The Royal Mint used Heaton when its own presses were busy and the firm marked its Canadian coins with a small H. The 1871-H is the first Canadian 50 cent piece to carry it. The London and Heaton coins were struck to the same design and standard.
That modest Heaton run makes the 1871-H one of the key dates of the Victorian series. Only the 1890-H at 20,000 and the 1894 at 29,036 are lower among Victoria's 50 cent pieces. It also came shortly before a long pause: after the 1872-H, no 50 cent pieces are dated 1873 to 1880. For a set of Victorian dates, the 1871-H is one of the three coins that usually takes longest to find. Expect to see it worn, often heavily, because these coins served in commerce for decades before anyone thought to save them. A worn 1871-H with a clear H is still a fine coin to own.
How to recognize it
The obverse is the familiar crowned Victoria facing left with VICTORIA DEI GRATIA REGINA CANADA. On the reverse, 50 CENTS and 1871 sit inside the maple wreath under a crown. The difference from the London coin is the H, which is small and placed at the bottom of the reverse below the wreath. Check that area under magnification; a worn or damaged coin can lose the mark or show a scratch that looks like one. Made of sterling silver, it weighs 11.62 g and holds about 0.35 troy ounces of pure silver. The coin measures about 29.7 mm across and has a reeded edge. The queen's hair and crown are the first places to wear.
1871 H Canadian 50 Cent by the numbers
In mintage terms the 1871 H Canadian 50 Cent ranks 9th lowest of 125 Canadian 50 cent dates and varieties from 1870 to 2022. The next scarcer is the 1905 Canadian 50 Cent (40,000); the next more common is the 1899 Canadian 50 Cent (50,000).
For scale, the most common is the 2002 P Golden Jubilee Canadian 50 Cent with 14.4 million, about 321 times as many. The scarcest is the 1932 Canadian 50 Cent with 19,213, 2.3 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1871 output was 10 times fewer than 1870 and 1.8 times fewer than 1872. Other 1871 50 cent coins: 1871 Canadian 50 Cent (200,000).
Over the 1870s the Mint produced 1.23 million 50 cent coins across 5 dates and varieties; the 1871 H Canadian 50 Cent accounts for 3.7% of that.
What to check on your 1871 H Canadian 50 Cent
- Check the date first: silver Canadian 50 cent coins carry dates from 1870 to 1967; this one has 0.3456 troy oz. Silver coins are not magnetic and ring clearly when dropped on a hard surface.
- Never clean it. Rubbing or polishing leaves fine scratches that collectors spot at once and that cut the value of silver dates sharply.
- Look at the high points of the portrait and the design. Wear there sets the grade. The grade in turn drives the value of older 50 cent coins.
An 1871-H carries a collector premium in any grade and a much larger one with clear detail. Because the London 1871 is several times more common, the H is the whole story, so confirm it before anything else. A grading service is a good idea for an apparently sharp example. Check also for cleaning, holes and repaired rims, all common problems on large Victorian silver. For many collectors the 1871-H is the third hardest Victorian 50 cent date to find, behind the 1890-H and the 1894. A clear H is essential.
Victoria sterling 50 cents (1870 to 1901)
Canada's 50 cent piece begins in 1870, three years after Confederation, as the largest coin in the Dominion's first set of silver. American silver was circulating at a discount at the time, so the government shipped much of it out of the country and ordered its own 5, 10, 25 and 50 cent coins. Canada had no mint, so the work went to England. London struck most dates, while the private Heaton mint in Birmingham filled some orders and marked its coins with a small H. The obverse carries Leonard Charles Wyon's crowned portrait of Victoria inside VICTORIA DEI GRATIA REGINA CANADA. The reverse puts 50 CENTS and the date inside a maple wreath with a crown above.
Each coin is sterling silver, 92.5 percent pure, weighing 11.62 g and measuring about 29.7 mm. That works out to roughly 0.35 troy ounces of pure silver, a heavy coin for a pocket. Orders were small and irregular. Only thirteen date and mint combinations exist for the whole reign, with long gaps such as 1873 to 1880 and 1882 to 1887 when no 50 cents were struck at all. Published mintages run from 450,000 for 1870 down to 20,000 for 1890-H, with 1894 and 1871-H also below 50,000.
By modern standards every Victorian 50 cent piece is scarce and nearly all of them carry a collector premium, even when worn smooth. Read the date first, then check the bottom of the reverse for an H. The keys are 1890-H, 1894 and 1871-H, with 1888 and 1899 not far behind. Most survivors circulated for decades, so clear hair strands and visible leaf veins are rare at any date. On a key date, study the digits under magnification, because altered dates and copies exist.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1871 |
| Circulation mintage | 45,000 |
| Composition | Sterling silver (92.5% silver) |
| Weight | 11.62 g |
| Diameter | 29.72 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Other 1871 Canadian 50 cent coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 1871 Canadian 50 Cent Coin | 200,000 | Collector premium |
Frequently asked questions
Where is the H on an 1871-H 50 cent piece?
The H is on the reverse, at the bottom below the maple wreath. It is small and can wear down, so use a magnifier. A coin without it is the more common 1871 struck in London.
Why did a Birmingham mint strike Canadian coins?
Canada had no mint of its own until 1908 and the Royal Mint in London sometimes passed orders to the private Heaton firm in Birmingham. Heaton marked its Canadian coins with an H.
Mintage figures: 50-cent piece (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.