1959 Canadian 50 Cent Coin
The 1959 Canadian 50 Cent is a Canadian 50 cent coin struck for circulation with 3.1 million made. Value band: metal value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1959
- Circulation mintage
- 3,095,535
- Value band
- Metal value
- 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 1959 Canadian 50 Cent worth?
The 1959 Canadian 50 Cent is a silver coin with 0.3 troy ounces of pure silver, so its floor is its metal value: 0.3 times the day's silver spot price. With 3.1 million made, worn examples trade for about their silver; collectors pay more for sharp, original coins and much more for uncirculated ones with full luster.
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 1959 Canadian 50 Cent rare?
- Not by mintage. 3.1 million were made, but it is silver, so even worn examples are worth their metal value rather than face value.
- How many 1959 Canadian 50 cent coins were made?
- 3,095,535 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1959 Canadian 50 Cent made of?
- 80% silver, 20% copper. It weighs 11.66 g and measures 29.72 mm.
- Is the 1959 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 1959 50 cent coin in context
The 1959 introduced the reverse that, in one form or another, has stayed on the 50 cent piece ever since. In place of the large, simplified arms of 1937 to 1958, the new design shows the complete coat of arms of Canada in a smaller size, with more of its heraldic detail. The mint struck 3,095,535, slightly more than the 1958. Mary Gillick's portrait of the queen continued on the obverse. It was only the second major change of reverse design since 1870.
The change came during a period of steady growth, when 50 cent mintages climbed every year from 1955 to 1965. The 1959 is the first year of the type and the date that type collectors pair with the 1958. Its design would carry through the switch to nickel in 1968 and remain recognizably the same until the arms were revised in 1997. As a silver coin, the 1959 was pulled from circulation after 1968 and survivors now turn up in old jars, rolls and family collections. It is the date that begins the reverse most Canadians know from the 50 cent piece today.
How to recognize it
Gillick's laureate portrait faces right with ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA. The reverse shows the complete coat of arms in a smaller, more detailed rendering, with CANADA, 50 CENTS and 1959. More open space surrounds the arms than on the 1958. It is 80 percent silver, weighs 11.66 g and measures about 29.7 mm, so it holds roughly 0.30 troy ounces of pure silver. Wear shows first on the queen's hair and laurel leaves, then on the high points of the arms. Specialists also list a 1959 variety known as horizontal shading. The fine lines in the arms soften quickly, so a coin with crisp heraldic detail is a better example.
1959 Canadian 50 Cent by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 1959 Canadian 50 Cent ranks 109th lowest of 125 Canadian 50 cent dates and varieties from 1870 to 2022. The next scarcer is the 1958 Canadian 50 Cent (2.96 million); the next more common is the 1943 Canadian 50 Cent (3.11 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2002 P Golden Jubilee Canadian 50 Cent with 14.4 million, about 4.7 times as many. The scarcest is the 1932 Canadian 50 Cent with 19,213, 161 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1959 output was about the same as 1958 and 1.1 times fewer than 1960.
Over the 1950s the Mint produced 19.9 million 50 cent coins across 10 dates and varieties; the 1959 Canadian 50 Cent accounts for 16% of that.
What to check on your 1959 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 1959 trades near its silver value, with a small premium for uncirculated coins. As a first year type it has extra appeal for collectors putting together one of each design. Choose a coin with sharp detail in the shield and few marks. It is a silver coin, so it will not stick to a magnet. Placed beside a 1958, it shows the change of reverse at a glance, which makes the pair popular with type collectors. Bright coins from rolls turn up from time to time.
Last silver 50 cents (1959 to 1967)
In 1959 the reverse was redrawn. The large, simple coat of arms of 1937 to 1958 gave way to a smaller design showing the complete arms, with more heraldic detail packed into less space. That style, in one form or another, has been on the 50 cent piece ever since. Gillick's portrait stayed until 1964. In 1965 Arnold Machin's portrait replaced it, showing the queen in a tiara with the shorter legend ELIZABETH II D·G·REGINA.
These were boom years. Mintages climbed from 3,095,535 in 1959 to 12,629,974 in 1965, the largest of the silver era. The coin stayed at 80 percent silver, 11.66 g, with about 0.30 troy ounces of pure silver. The 1966 was the last with the regular arms design in silver. For the centennial in 1967, the painter Alex Colville designed a one year reverse for every circulating coin and the 50 cent piece got a howling wolf with the dates 1867 and 1967. Unlike the dime and quarter, the 1967 50 cent piece stayed at 80 percent silver all year.
Nothing in this group is rare and most dates trade near their silver value, with a small premium for bright uncirculated coins. That still makes every one worth more than face value. Sort them by date and by reverse: complete arms for 1959 to 1966, the wolf for 1967. Silver coins of this era were pulled from circulation quickly after 1968, so they now turn up mostly in old jars, rolls and inherited collections. A magnet sorts them from later coins, since silver is not attracted to it.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 50 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1959 |
| Circulation mintage | 3,095,535 |
| Composition | 80% silver, 20% copper |
| Weight | 11.66 g |
| Diameter | 29.72 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Frequently asked questions
What is the complete coat of arms on the 1959 50 cents?
It is a smaller, fuller version of the Canadian arms than the large design used from 1937 to 1958. It shows more of the heraldic detail and became the basis for later 50 cent reverses.
Is the 1959 50 cent piece silver?
Yes. It is 80 percent silver, 11.66 g, with about 0.30 troy ounces of pure silver, like all Canadian 50 cent pieces dated before 1968. Silver coins do not stick to a magnet.
Mintage figures: 50-cent piece (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.