1920 Canadian 50 Cent Coin
The 1920 Canadian 50 Cent is a Canadian 50 cent coin struck for circulation with 584,691 made. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1920
- Circulation mintage
- 584,691
- Value band
- Small premium
- Composition
- 80% silver, 20% copper
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 1920 Canadian 50 Cent worth?
Collectors pay a small premium for the 1920 Canadian 50 Cent (584,691 made), especially in uncirculated condition. Well circulated examples sit close to face value.
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 1920 Canadian 50 Cent rare?
- It is scarcer than most Canadian 50 cent coins. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many 1920 Canadian 50 cent coins were made?
- 584,691 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1920 Canadian 50 Cent made of?
- 80% silver, 20% copper. It weighs 11.66 g and measures 29.72 mm.
- Is the 1920 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 1920 50 cent coin in context
The 1920 is the first Canadian 50 cent piece in 80 percent silver. Silver prices had climbed sharply after the First World War and the government lowered the fineness of all its silver coins from sterling to .800. The weight rose very slightly to 11.66 g, so each coin still holds about 0.30 troy ounces of pure silver. The Ottawa mint struck 584,691, roughly half the 1919 total. It was the start of a fineness that would last until the end of silver 50 cent pieces in 1967.
The 1920 also played a part in the story of the 1921. Demand for 50 cent pieces fell away in the postwar slump and many 1920 coins were still sitting at the mint years later. In 1929, when demand came back, the mint melted most of its old stock rather than issue coins with old dates. The 1921 almost vanished in that melt. Enough 1920 coins had already left the mint to survive in reasonable numbers, but the melting is one reason this date is not as common as its mintage might suggest.
How to recognize it
Mackennal's crowned and robed George V faces left inside GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: REX ET IND: IMP:. The reverse shows 50 CENTS and 1920 within the maple wreath under a crown. Nothing on the coin announces the change to 80 percent silver, so the date is the only visible clue. The coin weighs 11.66 g and measures about 29.7 mm. Check the last digit closely, since a worn 1920 can be mistaken for a 1929 or a 1921 by hopeful eyes. The reverse is the same maple wreath and crown used since 1911. Wear shows first on the crown jewels and the beard.
1920 Canadian 50 Cent by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 1920 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 66th lowest of 125 Canadian 50 cent dates and varieties from 1870 to 2022. The next scarcer is the 2000 Canadian 50 Cent (559,000); the next more common is the 2015 Canadian 50 Cent (625,000).
For scale, the most common is the 2002 P Golden Jubilee Canadian 50 Cent with 14.4 million, about 25 times as many. The scarcest is the 1932 Canadian 50 Cent with 19,213, 30 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1920 output was 1.9 times fewer than 1919 and 2.8 times the 1921 figure.
Over the 1920s the Mint produced 1.02 million 50 cent coins across 3 dates and varieties; the 1920 Canadian 50 Cent accounts for 57% of that.
What to check on your 1920 Canadian 50 Cent
- Check the date first: silver Canadian 50 cent coins carry dates from 1870 to 1967; this one has 0.3 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 1920 carries a collector premium as a George V silver date and has the largest mintage of the 80 percent George V years. It is also a first year type, which adds some interest. Check the 0 under magnification and be wary of any 1920 with marks around the final digit. Clear crown jewels and leaf veins mark a better coin. Because many 1920 coins were melted in 1929, survivors in sharp condition are less common than the mintage implies. A grading service can help with a sharp coin.
George V 80 percent silver 50 cents (1920 to 1936)
Silver prices rose after the First World War and in 1920 Canada lowered the fineness of its silver coins from sterling to 80 percent. The 50 cent piece became 11.66 g of .800 silver at the same 29.7 mm or so, holding about 0.30 troy ounces of pure silver. Nothing on the coin announces the change. Mackennal's portrait and the maple wreath carried on, so the date is the only way to tell a 1919 from a 1920 by eye.
Then demand collapsed. The mint struck coins dated 1921, but banks were well stocked after the war and the new 50 cent pieces sat in storage. None are dated 1922 to 1928. When demand came back in 1929, the mint melted most of the 1920 and 1921 coins it still held rather than release old dates. Almost every 1921 disappeared and only 75 to 100 are known today. The Depression kept later runs tiny: 57,581 in 1931, 19,213 in 1932, 39,539 in 1934 and 38,550 in 1936, with no coins at all for 1930, 1933 or 1935. In December 1931 the Ottawa branch became the Royal Canadian Mint, though the coins look the same.
This is the group where Canadian 50 cent collecting gets serious. The 1921 is the king of Canadian coins and a significant rarity, while 1932, 1934, 1936 and 1931 are all key dates with a collector premium in any condition. The 1920 and 1929 are the more available pair. Check the last digit of the date carefully, since a worn 1929 or 1920 should never be mistaken for a 1921. Be wary of altered dates too. Wear hits the crown, the beard and the high points of the wreath first.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1920 |
| Circulation mintage | 584,691 |
| Composition | 80% silver, 20% copper |
| Weight | 11.66 g |
| Diameter | 29.72 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1920 50 cent piece sterling silver?
No. The 1920 is the first year of 80 percent silver, lowered from sterling. It weighs 11.66 g and contains about 0.30 troy ounces of pure silver. The design did not change.
Were 1920 50 cent pieces melted?
Many were. In 1929 the mint melted most of the 1920 and 1921 coins still in storage. Coins already in circulation survived, so the 1920 is available while the 1921 is extremely rare.
Mintage figures: 50-cent piece (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.