1947 Maple Leaf Canadian 50 Cent Coin
The 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian 50 Cent is a Canadian 50 cent coin struck for circulation with 38,433 made. Value band: collector premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1947
- Circulation mintage
- 38,433
- 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 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian 50 Cent worth?
With 38,433 struck, the 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian 50 Cent ranks 5th 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 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian 50 Cent rare?
- Yes, by the standards of Canadian 50 cent coins. With 38,433 struck, the 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian 50 Cent ranks 5th lowest of the 125 circulating Canadian 50 cent coins we track.
- How many 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian 50 cent coins were made?
- 38,433 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian 50 Cent made of?
- 80% silver, 20% copper. It weighs 11.66 g and measures 29.72 mm.
- Is the 1947 Maple Leaf 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 1947 50 cent coin in context
When 1948 began, the Ottawa mint had a problem. India's independence meant the legend had to lose ET IND: IMP:, but new dies with the shorter legend had not yet arrived. Rather than stop production, the mint kept using its 1947 dies and added a tiny maple leaf after the date to show the coins were made in 1948. The leaf appears on every denomination struck that way, from the cent to the silver dollar. It was a practical fix that created some of Canada's best known varieties.
On the 50 cent piece the run was small: just 38,433. That makes the 1947 maple leaf one of the keys of George VI's reign and of the whole 50 cent series. It is close in mintage to the 1948 that followed, at 37,784. Together they form the hardest pair of the reign. The maple leaf coin is also found with both straight and curved 7s and the curved 7 version is a great rarity. For most finders, though, the simple question is whether the leaf is there. Even a worn coin with a clear leaf is a great find.
How to recognize it
Paget's portrait of George VI faces left inside GEORGIVS VI D:G: REX ET IND: IMP:, the old legend. The reverse carries the Canadian coat of arms with CANADA, 50 CENTS and 1947, followed by a small raised maple leaf. On a worn coin the leaf can be faint, so tilt the coin under a light. A real leaf has a defined outline and stem, while a scratch or spot of dirt does not. Each coin is 80 percent silver and weighs 11.66 g, for about 0.30 troy ounces of pure silver. Diameter is about 29.7 mm and the edge is reeded. Wear shows on the king's hair above the ear.
1947 Maple Leaf Canadian 50 Cent by the numbers
In mintage terms the 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian 50 Cent ranks 5th lowest of 125 Canadian 50 cent dates and varieties from 1870 to 2022. The next scarcer is the 1948 Canadian 50 Cent (37,784); the next more common is the 1936 Canadian 50 Cent (38,550).
For scale, the most common is the 2002 P Golden Jubilee Canadian 50 Cent with 14.4 million, about 376 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 1947 output was 25 times fewer than 1946 and about the same as 1948. Other 1947 50 cent coins: 1947 Canadian 50 Cent (424,885).
Over the 1940s the Mint produced 15.5 million 50 cent coins across 11 dates and varieties; the 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian 50 Cent accounts for 0.2% of that.
What to check on your 1947 Maple Leaf 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.
- Confirm the variety: maple leaf after the date. Use a magnifier and compare with a reference picture before you assume you have the scarcer one.
- 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.
A 1947 maple leaf 50 cent piece is a key date with a collector premium in every grade, much more for a curved 7. Added leaves have been faked, so a grading service is a sensible step before buying or selling. Look for natural tone and a leaf that matches the style of genuine examples. Most survivors show moderate wear. It pairs naturally with the 1948 in a collection, since both come from the same moment in the mint's history. Check the shape of the 7 as well.
George VI coat of arms 50 cents (1937 to 1952)
The coins of 1937 gave Canada a new look. The 50 cent piece dropped the maple wreath for the coat of arms of Canada, designed by George Kruger Gray, with the date and 50 CENTS around it. The obverse carries Thomas Humphrey Paget's bare headed portrait of George VI facing left with GEORGIVS VI D:G: REX ET IND: IMP:. The metal stayed at 80 percent silver, 11.66 g, with about 0.30 troy ounces of pure silver.
Mintages were modest before the war, at 192,016 in 1937 and 192,018 in 1938. The Second World War changed that, with nearly two million in 1940 and 3,109,583 in 1943. India's independence in 1947 then forced a new legend, because the king was no longer Emperor of India. The new dies were not ready at the start of 1948, so the mint struck more coins from its 1947 dies and added a small maple leaf after the date. Only 38,433 of those maple leaf 50 cent pieces were made, followed by just 37,784 coins dated 1948 with the new legend GEORGIVS VI DEI GRATIA REX.
The keys of the reign are the 1947 maple leaf and the 1948, both with a collector premium in every grade. The 1937 to 1939 coins are scarcer than the wartime dates and collectors also chase die varieties such as the hoof in the 6 on some 1946 coins. Read the legend against the date: ET IND: IMP: belongs on coins dated 1947 or earlier. George VI died in February 1952, but 1952 coins still show him. Wear shows on the king's hair above the ear and on the crown and lion in the arms.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1947 |
| Circulation mintage | 38,433 |
| Composition | 80% silver, 20% copper |
| Weight | 11.66 g |
| Diameter | 29.72 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Other 1947 Canadian 50 cent coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 1947 Canadian 50 Cent Coin | 424,885 | Small premium |
Frequently asked questions
Why does a 1947 50 cent piece have a maple leaf?
In early 1948 the mint still had only the old 1947 dies. It kept using them and added a small maple leaf after the date to show the coins were struck in 1948.
How many 1947 maple leaf 50 cent pieces were made?
The published mintage is 38,433, compared with 424,885 for the plain 1947. That makes it one of the key dates of the George VI series. Only the 1948 is close in difficulty.
Mintage figures: 50-cent piece (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.