1971 Canadian Nickel

Quick answers

Is the 1971 Canadian Nickel rare?

No. 27.3 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.

How many 1971 Canadian nickels were made?

27,312,609 were struck for circulation.

What is the 1971 Canadian Nickel made of?

Nickel (99.9%). It weighs 4.54 g and measures 21.2 mm.

Is the 1971 Canadian Nickel still legal tender?

Yes. Canadian 5-cent coins are legal tender.

How to recognize it

The 1971 Canadian Nickel is round, 21.2 mm across and nickel (99.9%).

1971 Canadian Nickel by the numbers

Measured by how many were made, the 1971 Canadian Nickel ranks 95th lowest of 161 Canadian nickel dates and varieties from 1858 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 1943 Tombac Canadian Nickel (24.8 million); the next more common is the 1997 Canadian Nickel (27.4 million).

For scale, the most common is the 2008 Canadian Nickel with 278.5 million, about 10 times as many. The scarcest is the 1884 Canadian Nickel with 200,000, 137 times fewer than this one.

Compared with the dates around it, the 1971 output was 4.8 times the 1970 figure and 2.3 times fewer than 1972.

Over the 1970s the Mint produced 850.2 million five cent coins across 10 dates and varieties; the 1971 Canadian Nickel accounts for 3.2% of that.

What to check on your 1971 Canadian Nickel

• Try a magnet. Nickel (99.9%) is magnetic, so a genuine 1971 coin sticks; a silver one would not.
• Never clean it. Rubbing or polishing leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
• Look for full luster and no scratches. Modern five cent coins only interest collectors in uncirculated condition or with a recognized variety.

Tiara portrait nickels in pure nickel (1965 to 1981)

A new, more mature portrait of the queen arrived in 1965. Arnold Machin showed Elizabeth II wearing a tiara and the same likeness appeared on coins across the Commonwealth. The nickel stayed round, 4.54 g and pure nickel, with the beaver on the reverse. The one big exception came in 1967, when every Canadian circulation coin got a special design for the centennial of Confederation. On the five cents Alex Colville placed a leaping rabbit with the dates 1867 and 1967.

Demand for change kept growing. Mintages that had been in the tens of millions climbed past 100 million in the middle of the 1970s and reached more than 186 million in 1979. There are a few sharp dips, most notably 1970 when only 5,726,010 were struck. In 1981 the Royal Canadian Mint produced proof coins for collectors, the first recorded year of proof strikes for the denomination.

These are the coins most people find in old jars and drawers. The 1970 is the date to look for, as its mintage is tiny compared with the years around it. The 1965 has small beads and large beads varieties, while the 1977 has a high 7 and low 7. Most dates have face value in circulated grades. Wear shows on the tiara and the beaver's back first. These pure nickel coins are attracted to a magnet.

Mintage chart

Specifications