1948 Canadian Nickel
The 1948 Canadian Nickel is a Canadian nickel struck for circulation with 1.81 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1948
- Circulation mintage
- 1,810,789
- 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 1948 Canadian Nickel worth?
With 1.81 million made, the 1948 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 1948 Canadian Nickel rare?
- No. 1.81 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 1948 Canadian nickels were made?
- 1,810,789 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1948 Canadian Nickel made of?
- Nickel (99.9%). It weighs 4.54 g and measures 21.2 mm, with a 12-sided shape.
- Is the 1948 Canadian Nickel still legal tender?
- Yes. Canadian 5-cent coins are legal tender.
The 1948 nickel in context
The 1948 nickel is the scarce date of the postwar George VI years, with a mintage of only 1,810,789. That looks odd at first, since the years either side saw far more: 7,603,724 regular 1947 coins and 13,736,276 dated 1949. The explanation lies in the 1947 maple leaf coins. When India became independent, the legend on Canadian coins had to drop the reference to the king as Emperor of India. While new dies were being made the mint struck 9,595,124 coins dated 1947 with a small maple leaf.
Those maple leaf coins were actually made in 1948. By the time the new dies with the shortened legend were ready, much of the year's demand had already been met with 1947 dated pieces. The coins that finally carried the 1948 date and the new legend were therefore a small run. That accident of timing turned 1948 into a better date and it is one that collectors often find missing from old accumulations of beavers. It is also the first nickel with the new legend, a small but genuine landmark in the series.
How to recognize it
Paget's bare headed George VI remains on the obverse, but the legend changes. Gone is the IND: IMP: that had named him Emperor of India, leaving a shorter inscription that names him king by the grace of God. The reverse shows Kruger Gray's beaver on a rock with water around it, CANADA above and 5 CENTS below. The coin is pure nickel, 12-sided and 4.54 g. The legend is the quickest way to confirm a 1948 if the date is worn: no IND IMP means 1948 or later. On a crisp coin the fur and water lines are sharp. The 12 corners are sharp on an unworn coin.
1948 Canadian Nickel by the numbers
By the numbers, the 1948 Canadian Nickel ranks 28th lowest of 161 Canadian nickel dates and varieties from 1858 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 1900 Canadian Nickel (1.8 million); the next more common is the 1909 Canadian Nickel (1.98 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2008 Canadian Nickel with 278.5 million, about 154 times as many. The scarcest is the 1884 Canadian Nickel with 200,000, 9.1 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1948 output was 5.3 times fewer than 1947 and 7.6 times fewer than 1949.
Over the 1940s the Mint produced 127.6 million five cent coins across 12 dates and varieties; the 1948 Canadian Nickel accounts for 1.4% of that.
What to check on your 1948 Canadian Nickel
- Try a magnet. Nickel (99.9%) is magnetic, so a genuine 1948 coin sticks; a silver one would not.
- 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.
The 1948 carries a collector premium in well preserved condition and is worth setting aside even when worn. Check the date and legend together. Look at the 12 corners for nicks and at the surfaces for spots and stains. Because the date is scarcer than its neighbors, it is often the coin that fills the last gap in a George VI beaver set, so a sharp one is worth waiting for. Spots and dark stains are common on nickels from damp storage. Do not try to scrub them away.
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 | 1948 |
| Circulation mintage | 1,810,789 |
| Composition | Nickel (99.9%) |
| Weight | 4.54 g |
| Diameter | 21.2 mm |
| Shape | 12-sided |
| Edge | Plain |
Frequently asked questions
Why is the 1948 nickel scarce when 1947 and 1949 are common?
Much of the coinage made in 1948 still carried the 1947 date with a maple leaf, because new dies were not ready. Only 1,810,789 nickels were actually dated 1948, making it the scarce date of the period.
What changed on the 1948 legend?
The words IND: IMP:, for Emperor of India, were removed after India became independent in 1947. From 1948 the legend on Canadian coins simply names George VI as king by the grace of God.
Mintage figures: Nickel (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.