1911 Canadian 50 Cent Coin
The 1911 Canadian 50 Cent is a Canadian 50 cent coin struck for circulation with 209,972 made. Value band: collector premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1911
- Circulation mintage
- 209,972
- 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 a 1911 Canadian 50 Cent worth?
With 209,972 struck, the 1911 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 35th 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 1911 Canadian 50 Cent rare?
- Yes, by the standards of Canadian 50 cent coins. With 209,972 struck, the 1911 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 35th lowest of the 125 circulating Canadian 50 cent coins we track.
- How many 1911 Canadian 50 cent coins were made?
- 209,972 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1911 Canadian 50 Cent made of?
- Sterling silver (92.5% silver). It weighs 11.62 g and measures 29.72 mm.
- Is the 1911 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 1911 50 cent coin in context
The 1911 50 cent piece is part of one of the best known controversies in Canadian coinage. George V's first coins, with Bertram Mackennal's crowned and robed portrait, carried the legend GEORGIVS V REX ET IND: IMP: and left out DEI GRA:, the abbreviation for by the grace of God. Whatever the reason for the omission, many Canadians were offended and the press called them the Godless coins. The new portrait had been modeled by Bertram Mackennal, an Australian born sculptor working in London.
The government ordered the legend restored. The 1912 coins carry DEI GRA: again. That leaves the 1911 as a one year type, which is a big part of its appeal. Its mintage of 209,972 is lower than the 649,521 of 1910 and the 285,867 of 1912, so it is a moderately scarce date as well. Collectors who want only a single George V coin often choose the 1911 for its story. It is also one of the easiest George V dates to identify, even on a worn coin, because the legend is shorter. It is a favorite with new collectors.
How to recognize it
Mackennal's portrait shows George V crowned and robed, facing left, with GEORGIVS V REX ET IND: IMP: around it. Read the legend: if there is no DEI GRA: between V and REX, the coin is a 1911. The reverse has 50 CENTS and 1911 inside the maple wreath, under a crown. The coin is sterling silver, 11.62 g and about 29.7 mm, holding roughly 0.35 troy ounces of pure silver. Wear shows first on the crown and the king's beard. When sorting worn George V silver, read the legend first and the date second; the short legend alone tells you it is a 1911.
1911 Canadian 50 Cent by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 1911 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 35th lowest of 125 Canadian 50 cent dates and varieties from 1870 to 2022. The next scarcer is the 1990 Canadian 50 Cent (207,000); the next more common is the 2008 Canadian 50 Cent (211,000).
For scale, the most common is the 2002 P Golden Jubilee Canadian 50 Cent with 14.4 million, about 69 times as many. The scarcest is the 1932 Canadian 50 Cent with 19,213, 11 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1911 output was 3.1 times fewer than 1910 and 1.4 times fewer than 1912.
Over the 1910s the Mint produced 4.65 million 50 cent coins across 9 dates and varieties; the 1911 Canadian 50 Cent accounts for 4.5% of that.
What to check on your 1911 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.
The 1911 carries a collector premium in any grade, with strong interest in coins that keep clear detail on the crown and robes. As a one year type it sells to more than date collectors, so demand is steady. Look for natural tone and an undamaged rim. Cleaned coins are common and less desirable. Because the short legend is so easy to see, the 1911 is often the first George V coin a new collector recognizes. Expect most examples to show moderate to heavy wear, with flat crown jewels and smooth leaves.
George V sterling 50 cents (1911 to 1919)
Bertram Mackennal's crowned and robed portrait of George V, facing left, arrived on coins dated 1911 and it began with a row. The legend read GEORGIVS V REX ET IND: IMP:, leaving out DEI GRA:, the words that say the king rules by the grace of God. Many Canadians objected to these Godless coins and from 1912 the dies carried GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: REX ET IND: IMP:. On the reverse the maple wreath and crown carried on around 50 CENTS and the date.
The coins were still sterling silver, 11.62 g and about 29.7 mm, with roughly 0.35 troy ounces of pure silver, all struck in Ottawa. Output stayed in the low hundreds of thousands through 1914 and no 50 cent pieces are dated 1915. Then the First World War pushed demand up sharply: 459,070 in 1916, 752,213 in 1917, 754,989 in 1918 and 1,113,429 in 1919. The 1919 was the first 50 cent mintage over a million and the last in sterling, because the silver standard was lowered in 1920.
Start with the legend and the date. A 1911 is a one year type and easy to spot because DEI GRA: is missing. The 1914 has the smallest mintage of the sterling George V years, while 1917 to 1919 are the commonest and still turn up in old accumulations. All of these are silver, so even a worn coin is worth more than face value for its metal. Look at the king's crown, his beard and the tips of the maple leaves to judge wear; sharp crown jewels are the mark of a well preserved coin.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1911 |
| Circulation mintage | 209,972 |
| Composition | Sterling silver (92.5% silver) |
| Weight | 11.62 g |
| Diameter | 29.72 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Frequently asked questions
Why is the 1911 called the Godless 50 cents?
Its legend leaves out DEI GRA:, meaning by the grace of God. Public objections led to the words being restored on coins dated 1912, so the 1911 is the only George V 50 cent piece without them.
How many 1911 50 cent pieces were struck?
The published mintage is 209,972. That is lower than both 1910 and 1912, so the 1911 is a moderately scarce date as well as a one year type. It is also the first George V date.
Mintage figures: 50-cent piece (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.