1959 Canadian Nickel

Quick answers

Is the 1959 Canadian Nickel rare?

No. 11.6 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.

How many 1959 Canadian nickels were made?

11,552,523 were struck for circulation.

What is the 1959 Canadian Nickel made of?

Nickel (99.9%). It weighs 4.54 g and measures 21.2 mm, with a 12-sided shape.

Is the 1959 Canadian Nickel still legal tender?

Yes. Canadian 5-cent coins are legal tender.

How to recognize it

The 1959 Canadian Nickel is 12-sided, 21.2 mm across and nickel (99.9%).

1959 Canadian Nickel by the numbers

Measured by how many were made, the 1959 Canadian Nickel ranks 87th lowest of 161 Canadian nickel dates and varieties from 1858 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 1944 Steel Canadian Nickel (11.5 million); the next more common is the 1950 Canadian Nickel (12 million).

For scale, the most common is the 2008 Canadian Nickel with 278.5 million, about 24 times as many. The scarcest is the 1884 Canadian Nickel with 200,000, 58 times fewer than this one.

Compared with the dates around it, the 1959 output was 1.5 times the 1958 figure and 3.2 times fewer than 1960.

Over the 1950s the Mint produced 101.1 million five cent coins across 11 dates and varieties; the 1959 Canadian Nickel accounts for 11% of that.

What to check on your 1959 Canadian Nickel

• Try a magnet. Nickel (99.9%) is magnetic, so a genuine 1959 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.

Elizabeth II laureate portrait nickels (1953 to 1964)

Elizabeth II came to the throne in February 1952, but the first Canadian coins with her portrait are dated 1953. Mary Gillick's portrait shows the young queen with a laurel wreath in her hair and a draped gown. Two versions of the portrait were used in 1953, one with a shoulder strap on the gown and one without, which is why collectors look for strap and no strap coins of that year. The beaver stayed on the reverse.

The first two years were still struck on plated steel because of Korean War demand for nickel. Pure nickel returned in 1955 and remained in use for decades. The 12-sided shape lasted until 1962 and in 1963 the coin went back to round. Mintages exploded around 1960 as demand for coins grew with the economy and population. Output went from around 7 million in the late 1950s to over 78 million in 1964.

The 1955 is the low mintage date of the group at 5,355,028 and 1954 is also among the lower ones. Steel coins of 1953 and 1954 often show rust or flaking plating, so a clean piece is the goal. The 1953 strap varieties are worth checking with a magnifier: look at the queen's shoulder. Many early 1960s nickels survive in large numbers, so only well preserved coins draw interest. A magnet sticks to both pure nickel and plated steel coins, so it will not separate them.

Mintage chart

Specifications