1990 Canadian Nickel

Quick answers

Is the 1990 Canadian Nickel rare?

No. 42.5 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.

How many 1990 Canadian nickels were made?

42,537,000 were struck for circulation.

What is the 1990 Canadian Nickel made of?

Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel). It weighs 4.6 g and measures 21.2 mm.

Is the 1990 Canadian Nickel still legal tender?

Yes. Canadian 5-cent coins are legal tender.

How to recognize it

The 1990 Canadian Nickel is round, 21.2 mm across and cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel).

1990 Canadian Nickel by the numbers

By the numbers, the 1990 Canadian Nickel ranks 106th lowest of 161 Canadian nickel dates and varieties from 1858 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 1960 Canadian Nickel (37.2 million); the next more common is the 2006 Cupronickel Canadian Nickel (43 million).

For scale, the most common is the 2008 Canadian Nickel with 278.5 million, about 6.5 times as many. The scarcest is the 1884 Canadian Nickel with 200,000, 213 times fewer than this one.

Compared with the dates around it, the 1990 output was 3.3 times fewer than 1989 and 3.9 times the 1991 figure.

Over the 1990s the Mint produced 717.7 million five cent coins across 10 dates and varieties; the 1990 Canadian Nickel accounts for 5.9% of that.

What to check on your 1990 Canadian Nickel

• Try a magnet. Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) is not magnetic, while the plated steel coins of later years are.
• 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.

Cupronickel beavers (1982 to 1999)

Pure nickel became too expensive for a five cent coin and in 1982 the Royal Canadian Mint switched to cupronickel, an alloy of about 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel. The new coin weighed 4.6 g and stayed round at about 21.2 mm, but it no longer sticks to a magnet. The Machin portrait continued until 1989. In 1990 it was replaced by Dora de Pédery-Hunt's portrait of the queen wearing a crown, the first effigy of the queen designed by a Canadian.

The beaver kept its place on the reverse throughout, though one date broke the pattern. In 1992 the coins carried the double date 1867 1992 for the 125th anniversary of Confederation. Mintages ranged widely, from over 150 million in 1986 and 1998 down to just under 11 million in 1991, the lowest since the early 1970s.

The 1991 is the scarce date of this period, though it is still common enough to show up in rolls. The 1996 has a near 6 and far 6 variety. Late in the decade the mint tested plated steel and a small number of 1999 coins carry a P under the portrait; a 1999 P is a real find. To tell cupronickel from earlier pure nickel quickly, use a magnet: these coins do not respond. Bright, unmarked coins from mint sets are the best examples of any date here.

Mintage chart

Specifications