1952 Canadian Nickel
The 1952 Canadian Nickel is a Canadian nickel struck for circulation with 10.9 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1952
- Circulation mintage
- 10,891,148
- Value band
- Face value
- Composition
- Plated steel
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 1952 Canadian Nickel worth?
With 10.9 million made, the 1952 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 1952 Canadian Nickel rare?
- No. 10.9 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 1952 Canadian nickels were made?
- 10,891,148 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1952 Canadian Nickel made of?
- Plated steel. It weighs 4.54 g and measures 21.2 mm, with a 12-sided shape.
- Is the 1952 Canadian Nickel still legal tender?
- Yes. Canadian 5-cent coins are legal tender.
The 1952 nickel in context
The 1952 is the last George VI nickel. The king died in February 1952, but the coins kept his portrait for the rest of the year. The mint struck 10,891,148 on plated steel, so they stick to a magnet and can rust. The reverse is the regular beaver, as on the steel 1951 coins. Look for intact plating and no rust spots.
How to recognize it
The 1952 Canadian Nickel is 12-sided, 21.2 mm across and plated steel.
1952 Canadian Nickel by the numbers
In mintage terms the 1952 Canadian Nickel ranks 84th lowest of 161 Canadian nickel dates and varieties from 1858 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 1920 Canadian Nickel (10.6 million); the next more common is the 1991 Canadian Nickel (10.9 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2008 Canadian Nickel with 278.5 million, about 26 times as many. The scarcest is the 1884 Canadian Nickel with 200,000, 54 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1952 output was 1.2 times the 1951 figure and 1.5 times fewer than 1953.
Over the 1950s the Mint produced 101.1 million five cent coins across 11 dates and varieties; the 1952 Canadian Nickel accounts for 11% of that.
What to check on your 1952 Canadian Nickel
- Try a magnet. Plated steel is magnetic, so a genuine 1952 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.
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 | 1952 |
| Circulation mintage | 10,891,148 |
| Composition | Plated steel |
| Weight | 4.54 g |
| Diameter | 21.2 mm |
| Shape | 12-sided |
| Edge | Plain |
Mintage figures: Nickel (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.