1948 Canadian 50 Cent Coin
The 1948 Canadian 50 Cent is a Canadian 50 cent coin struck for circulation with 37,784 made. Value band: collector premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1948
- Circulation mintage
- 37,784
- 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 1948 Canadian 50 Cent worth?
With 37,784 struck, the 1948 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 4th 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 1948 Canadian 50 Cent rare?
- Yes, by the standards of Canadian 50 cent coins. With 37,784 struck, the 1948 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 4th lowest of the 125 circulating Canadian 50 cent coins we track.
- How many 1948 Canadian 50 cent coins were made?
- 37,784 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1948 Canadian 50 Cent made of?
- 80% silver, 20% copper. It weighs 11.66 g and measures 29.72 mm.
- Is the 1948 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 1948 50 cent coin in context
The 1948 is the first George VI 50 cent piece with the new legend GEORGIVS VI DEI GRATIA REX, which drops the king's title as Emperor of India. The dies arrived late in the year. By then the mint had spent months striking 1947 dated coins with a maple leaf, so only 37,784 coins dated 1948 were made. That is the lowest figure for any 50 cent piece after the 1930s. It is also the first year that George VI's Canadian coins spelled out DEI GRATIA in full.
Collectors rank the 1948 as the key date of George VI's 50 cent pieces, roughly level with the 1947 maple leaf. Few were saved new, since the coin looked ordinary at the time. Most survivors are worn. The low figure was short lived. In 1949 the mint struck 858,991, more than twenty times as many. So the 1948 stands alone as a small island between two much larger issues. It is one of the dates every Canadian silver hunter keeps in mind, along with the 1921 and the 1932. It is a coin worth knowing on sight.
How to recognize it
Paget's portrait of George VI faces left inside GEORGIVS VI DEI GRATIA REX, spelled out in full. The reverse shows the coat of arms of Canada with CANADA, 50 CENTS and 1948. If the legend has no ET IND: IMP:, the coin is 1948 or later. The 8 can resemble a 9 or a 6 when worn, so read it under magnification. Like other George VI 50 cent pieces, it is 11.66 g of 80 percent silver, about 0.30 troy ounces pure. It measures about 29.7 mm and carries no mint mark. Wear shows first on the king's hair above the ear and the crown of the arms.
1948 Canadian 50 Cent by the numbers
By the numbers, the 1948 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 4th lowest of 125 Canadian 50 cent dates and varieties from 1870 to 2022. The next scarcer is the 1894 Canadian 50 Cent (29,036); the next more common is the 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian 50 Cent (38,433).
For scale, the most common is the 2002 P Golden Jubilee Canadian 50 Cent with 14.4 million, about 382 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 1948 output was about the same as 1947 and 23 times fewer than 1949.
Over the 1940s the Mint produced 15.5 million 50 cent coins across 11 dates and varieties; the 1948 Canadian 50 Cent accounts for 0.2% of that.
What to check on your 1948 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 1948 carries a strong collector premium in every grade. Altered dates, usually from a 1949, are a known concern, so compare the 8 with genuine examples and consider authentication. Honest wear and natural tone are what to look for. Coins with clear detail in the arms are particularly scarce. Even a worn example with a clear date is a good find, since so few were saved when new. Treat any unusually sharp 1948 with care and have it checked by a grading service. It pairs naturally with the 1947 maple leaf in a collection.
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 | 1948 |
| Circulation mintage | 37,784 |
| Composition | 80% silver, 20% copper |
| Weight | 11.66 g |
| Diameter | 29.72 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Frequently asked questions
Why is the 1948 50 cent mintage so low?
New dies with the shorter legend arrived late in 1948. The mint struck 1947 maple leaf coins for most of the year, so only 37,784 were dated 1948. The next year's figure was more than twenty times larger.
How can you tell a 1948 from a 1949?
Read the last digit under magnification. An 8 has two closed loops, while a 9 has one loop and a tail. Check for tooling around the digit, since altered 1949 coins exist.
Mintage figures: 50-cent piece (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.