1936 Canadian 50 Cent Coin
The 1936 Canadian 50 Cent is a Canadian 50 cent coin struck for circulation with 38,550 made. Value band: collector premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1936
- Circulation mintage
- 38,550
- Value band
- Collector 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 1936 Canadian 50 Cent worth?
With 38,550 struck, the 1936 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 6th 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 1936 Canadian 50 Cent rare?
- Yes, by the standards of Canadian 50 cent coins. With 38,550 struck, the 1936 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 6th lowest of the 125 circulating Canadian 50 cent coins we track.
- How many 1936 Canadian 50 cent coins were made?
- 38,550 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1936 Canadian 50 Cent made of?
- 80% silver, 20% copper. It weighs 11.66 g and measures 29.72 mm.
- Is the 1936 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 1936 50 cent coin in context
George V died on 20 January 1936 and the 1936 50 cent piece is the last to carry his portrait. The mint struck 38,550, a figure close to the 1934 run, with no coins dated 1935 in between. Edward VIII succeeded his father but abdicated in December 1936 before any Canadian coins bearing his portrait were issued. George VI's new designs were not ready until 1937. The coins were struck with the familiar Mackennal portrait, unchanged since 1912.
For collectors the 1936 is both a key date and a last year coin. Unlike some other denominations of 1936, there is no dot variety of the 50 cent piece, so the plain coin is the only one to look for. Its low mintage and late date in the series make it one of the hardest George V coins to find in good condition. It ends a run of George V 50 cent pieces that began with the Godless 1911 and passed through the 1921 rarity and the Depression keys. It also closes the long run of wreath reverses that started in 1870.
How to recognize it
George V appears crowned and robed, facing left, in Mackennal's portrait with GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: REX ET IND: IMP:. The reverse shows 50 CENTS and 1936 within the maple wreath, under a crown, a design that dates back in its essentials to 1870. It was retired at the end of the year. It weighs 11.66 g in 80 percent silver, which comes to about 0.30 troy ounces of pure silver. Check the 6 closely; on worn coins it can resemble a 5 or an 8. The coin is about 29.7 mm across and has no mint mark. The crown jewels and the beard are the first details to wear.
1936 Canadian 50 Cent by the numbers
By the numbers, the 1936 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 6th lowest of 125 Canadian 50 cent dates and varieties from 1870 to 2022. The next scarcer is the 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian 50 Cent (38,433); the next more common is the 1934 Canadian 50 Cent (39,539).
For scale, the most common is the 2002 P Golden Jubilee Canadian 50 Cent with 14.4 million, about 375 times as many. The scarcest is the 1932 Canadian 50 Cent with 19,213, 2 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1936 output was about the same as 1934 and 5 times fewer than 1937.
Over the 1930s the Mint produced 826,893 50 cent coins across 7 dates and varieties; the 1936 Canadian 50 Cent accounts for 4.7% of that.
What to check on your 1936 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 1936 carries a collector premium in every grade and is a significant date in fine condition. As the last George V coin and the final year of the wreath reverse, it attracts type collectors as well as date collectors. Look for even wear and natural tone. Authentication helps for a sharp coin. Its mintage of 38,550 is very close to the 39,539 of 1934, so the two are often collected as a pair. Look for natural tone and avoid coins with cleaning or rim damage.
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 | 1936 |
| Circulation mintage | 38,550 |
| Composition | 80% silver, 20% copper |
| Weight | 11.66 g |
| Diameter | 29.72 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Frequently asked questions
Is there a 1936 dot 50 cent piece?
No. The dot variety exists on some other 1936 Canadian coins, struck in 1937 from old dies, but not on the 50 cent piece. The 1936 has a single type with 38,550 struck.
Is the 1936 the last wreath 50 cent piece?
Yes. The maple wreath and crown reverse used since 1870 ended with the 1936. From 1937 the 50 cent piece carried the coat of arms of Canada. The 1936 is the last of them.
Mintage figures: 50-cent piece (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.