1902 H Canadian Nickel
The 1902 H Canadian Nickel is a Canadian nickel struck for circulation with 2.2 million made. Value band: metal value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1902
- Circulation mintage
- 2,200,000
- Value band
- Metal value
- Composition
- Sterling silver (92.5% silver)
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 1902 H Canadian Nickel worth?
The 1902 H Canadian Nickel is a silver coin with 0.0345 troy ounces of pure silver, so its floor is its metal value: 0.0345 times the day's silver spot price. With 2.2 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 1902 H Canadian Nickel rare?
- Not by mintage. 2.2 million were made, but it is silver, so even worn examples are worth their metal value rather than face value.
- How many 1902 H Canadian nickels were made?
- 2,200,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1902 H Canadian Nickel made of?
- Sterling silver (92.5% silver). It weighs 1.16 g and measures 15.5 mm.
- Is the 1902 H Canadian Nickel still legal tender?
- Yes. Canadian 5-cent coins are legal tender, but a silver one is worth more for its metal than its face value.
The 1902 nickel in context
Coins dated 1902 were the first to carry Edward VII. The demand for new coins with the new king was heavy and the Royal Mint in London shared the five cents order with Ralph Heaton & Sons in Birmingham, which marked its coins with an H. The Heaton share came to 2,200,000, a little more than the 2,120,000 London coins of the same date. Edward VII had become king in January 1901, but Canadian coins dated 1901 still carried his mother's portrait.
It was the first Heaton five cents since 1890 and the start of a short revival of the Birmingham contract. The mint struck again for Canada in 1903 before the opening of the Ottawa branch of the Royal Mint in 1908 made outside orders unnecessary. For collectors 1902-H is popular because it combines a first year portrait with a mint mark and because the H itself comes in two styles. Two mints striking the same design in the same year also gives collectors a natural pair to look for: the 1902 and the 1902-H.
How to recognize it
George William de Saulles engraved the portrait of Edward VII, crowned and wearing robes, with the legend EDWARDUS VII DEI GRATIA REX IMPERATOR. The reverse shows 5 CENTS and the date inside a maple wreath under a crown. The coin is sterling silver, about 1.16 g. The H appears in two forms: a large, broad H and a small, narrow one. The difference is easy to see under a magnifier, since the large broad H is wider and heavier than the small narrow one. Edward VII faces right, the opposite direction to Victoria before him. The first year portrait shows him with a full beard and robes of state.
1902 H Canadian Nickel by the numbers
By the numbers, the 1902 H Canadian Nickel ranks 33rd lowest of 161 Canadian nickel dates and varieties from 1858 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 1902 Canadian Nickel (2.12 million); the next more common is the 2000 P Canadian Nickel (2.3 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2008 Canadian Nickel with 278.5 million, about 127 times as many. The scarcest is the 1884 Canadian Nickel with 200,000, 11 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1902 output was 1.1 times the 1901 figure and 2.2 times the 1903 figure. Other 1902 five cent coins: 1902 Canadian Nickel (2.12 million).
Over the 1900s the Mint produced 28.3 million five cent coins across 12 dates and varieties; the 1902 H Canadian Nickel accounts for 7.8% of that.
What to check on your 1902 H Canadian Nickel
- Check the date first: silver Canadian nickels carry dates from 1858 to 1921; this one has 0.0345 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 five cent coins.
The mintage figure combines both H varieties, so look at the mint mark to decide which you have. Circulated examples are fairly common for an Edwardian coin, but crisp ones are not. The first places to wear are the king's crown and the folds of his robe. Be careful not to confuse 1902-H with the London 1902, which has no H. Bright, polished coins are common and less desirable. Natural toning, even if dark, is preferred by most collectors. Keep it dry and handle it by the edges.
Edward VII silver five cents (1902 to 1910)
Victoria died in January 1901, but coins dated 1901 still carry her portrait. The new king's effigy reached the five cents in 1902. George William de Saulles modeled Edward VII crowned and robed, with the legend EDWARDUS VII DEI GRATIA REX IMPERATOR. The coin itself stayed the same tiny sterling silver piece of about 1.16 g, with 5 CENTS and the date inside a maple wreath under a crown. Demand was strong in a growing country and yearly mintages climbed from around two million toward five million by 1907.
The big change of the reign was where the coins came from. London and Heaton's Birmingham works both struck five cents dated 1902 and 1903, with the Heaton coins marked H. Then in January 1908 the Ottawa branch of the Royal Mint opened and Canada finally made its own coins. From 1908 every five cent piece was struck in Ottawa. In 1909 the maple leaves on the reverse were reworked, which is why collectors separate round leaf and pointed leaf coins for 1909 and 1910.
The lowest mintage of the reign is the 1903 London striking at 1,000,000, followed by 1908 at just over 1.2 million. The H coins of 1902 and 1903 are easy to tell apart from London strikes if the reverse is clear, so check the reverse carefully for the small H. Wear hits the king's crown and the leaf tips first. Many survivors are scratched, holed or cleaned, so an honest, evenly toned coin with clear leaves is worth more attention than a bright one.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 5 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1902 |
| Circulation mintage | 2,200,000 |
| Composition | Sterling silver (92.5% silver) |
| Weight | 1.16 g |
| Diameter | 15.5 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Other 1902 Canadian nickels
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 1902 Canadian Nickel | 2,120,000 | Metal value |
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1902-H different from the plain 1902?
Yes. Both show Edward VII, but the 1902-H was struck by Heaton in Birmingham and the plain 1902 by the Royal Mint in London. Heaton struck slightly more, 2,200,000 against 2,120,000.
What are the two H varieties?
Heaton used a large, broad H on some dies and a small, narrow H on others. Both are genuine and both are included in the 2,200,000 mintage. Collectors who specialize try to own one of each.
Mintage figures: Nickel (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.