1947 Maple Leaf Canadian Nickel
The 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian Nickel is a Canadian nickel struck for circulation with 9.6 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1947
- Circulation mintage
- 9,595,124
- Value band
- Face value
- Composition
- Nickel (99.9%)
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian Nickel worth?
With 9.6 million made, the 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian Nickel is common and worth face value in circulated condition. Only uncirculated coins with full luster, recognized varieties and genuine errors interest collectors.
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 Nickel rare?
- No. 9.6 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian nickels were made?
- 9,595,124 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian Nickel made of?
- Nickel (99.9%). It weighs 4.54 g and measures 21.2 mm, with a 12-sided shape.
- Is the 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian Nickel still legal tender?
- Yes. Canadian 5-cent coins are legal tender.
The 1947 nickel in context
The 1947 maple leaf nickel is a famous stopgap. India became independent in August 1947, which meant George VI was no longer Emperor of India. The legend on Canadian coins, which included the abbreviation IND: IMP:, had to change. The new dies were not ready in time and the mint needed coins. Its solution was to keep striking coins with the 1947 date into 1948 and to mark them with a small maple leaf after the date. The change affected every Canadian coin, not just the nickel.
The mint produced 9,595,124 maple leaf nickels, more than the 7,603,724 regular 1947 coins without the leaf. Similar maple leaf coins were made in other denominations. The leaf was a simple, clever way to tell coins struck in 1948 from those of 1947 without making new dies. The new legend finally appeared on coins dated 1948. The 1947 maple leaf has become a much loved part of Canadian coin collecting because of that story and it is a good example of how politics could change what appeared on a coin.
How to recognize it
The coin is the standard 12-sided pure nickel beaver of the postwar years. George VI is on the obverse by Paget, with the legend still including IND: IMP:. The reverse shows Kruger Gray's beaver on a rock, CANADA above and 5 CENTS below. The only difference is a tiny maple leaf just after the date. It is small but clear under magnification. Since the regular 1947 and the maple leaf version look identical otherwise, that leaf is the one thing to check. The leaf is tiny, so it is easy to miss. The rest of the design is unchanged. Nothing else was altered.
1947 Maple Leaf Canadian Nickel by the numbers
In mintage terms the 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian Nickel ranks 82nd lowest of 161 Canadian nickel dates and varieties from 1858 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 1956 Canadian Nickel (9.4 million); the next more common is the 1920 Canadian Nickel (10.6 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2008 Canadian Nickel with 278.5 million, about 29 times as many. The scarcest is the 1884 Canadian Nickel with 200,000, 48 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1947 output was 1.4 times the 1946 figure and 5.3 times the 1948 figure. Other 1947 five cent coins: 1947 Canadian Nickel (7.6 million).
Over the 1940s the Mint produced 127.6 million five cent coins across 12 dates and varieties; the 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian Nickel accounts for 7.5% of that.
What to check on your 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian Nickel
- Try a magnet. Nickel (99.9%) is magnetic, so a genuine 1947 coin sticks; a silver one would not.
- 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 and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
- 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.
Use a magnifier and look right after the 7 in the date. If you see a little leaf, you have the maple leaf version. Both kinds are common in worn grades, but the maple leaf coin is the more collected thanks to its story. Look for clear detail on the beaver and crisp edges on all 12 sides. Check the regular 1947 too, since a dot variety is recorded for that coin. Many maple leaf nickels are worn and spotted, so a coin with sharp beaver detail and clean surfaces is the one to aim for.
Postwar George VI nickels (1946 to 1952)
With the war over the beaver returned and so did nickel. From 1946 the coin was struck in pure nickel again but kept the 12-sided shape introduced during the war. Indian independence in 1947 meant George VI was no longer Emperor of India, so the IND IMP in the legend had to go. New dies were not ready in time, so the mint struck 1947 dated coins with a tiny maple leaf after the date during 1948 as a stopgap. From 1948 onward the legend reads simply that George VI is king by the grace of God.
1951 brought Canada's first commemorative five cents. Stephen Trenka designed a nickel refinery to mark 200 years since the Swedish chemist Axel Fredrik Cronstedt first isolated the metal in 1751. That piece was struck in pure nickel, but the Korean War soon put nickel back on the strategic list. The regular beaver coins of 1951 and 1952 were struck on plated steel, a change that lasted until 1954.
The 1948 is the scarce date of this group at 1,810,789. The 1947 maple leaf coin is popular and easy to spot once you look for the leaf after the date. The 1951 refinery design stands out at a glance and is common. For the steel coins check for rust spots and peeling plating. On all of them the beaver's back and the water lines show wear first, while the edges of a 12-sided coin should be crisp.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 5 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1947 |
| Circulation mintage | 9,595,124 |
| Composition | Nickel (99.9%) |
| Weight | 4.54 g |
| Diameter | 21.2 mm |
| Shape | 12-sided |
| Edge | Plain |
Other 1947 Canadian nickels
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 1947 Canadian Nickel | 7,603,724 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
Why do some 1947 nickels have a maple leaf after the date?
It was struck in 1948 using 1947 dies. India's independence meant the legend needed changing. While new dies were prepared the mint added a maple leaf to show the coins were made in 1948.
Is the 1947 maple leaf nickel rare?
No. The mint struck 9,595,124 of them, more than the regular 1947. It is popular rather than rare and collectors pay a small premium for well preserved examples in any grade.
Mintage figures: Nickel (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.