2003 P Old Portrait Canadian Nickel

Quick answers

Is the 2003 P Old Portrait Canadian Nickel rare?

No. 31.4 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.

How many 2003 P Old Portrait Canadian nickels were made?

31,388,921 were struck for circulation.

What is the 2003 P Old Portrait Canadian Nickel made of?

Plated steel. It weighs 3.95 g and measures 21.2 mm.

Is the 2003 P Old Portrait Canadian Nickel still legal tender?

Yes. Canadian 5-cent coins are legal tender.

How to recognize it

The 2003 P Old Portrait Canadian Nickel is round, 21.2 mm across and plated steel.

2003 P Old Portrait Canadian Nickel by the numbers

In mintage terms the 2003 P Old Portrait Canadian Nickel ranks 101st lowest of 161 Canadian nickel dates and varieties from 1858 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 2001 Canadian Nickel (30 million); the next more common is the 2020 Canadian Nickel (31.8 million).

For scale, the most common is the 2008 Canadian Nickel with 278.5 million, about 8.9 times as many. The scarcest is the 1884 Canadian Nickel with 200,000, 157 times fewer than this one.

Compared with the dates around it, the 2003 output was 4.3 times fewer than 2002 and 3.9 times fewer than 2004. Other 2003 five cent coins: 2003 P New Portrait Canadian Nickel (61.4 million).

Over the 2000s the Mint produced 1.83 billion five cent coins across 15 dates and varieties; the 2003 P Old Portrait Canadian Nickel accounts for 1.7% of that.

What to check on your 2003 P Old Portrait Canadian Nickel

• Try a magnet. Plated steel is magnetic, so a genuine 2003 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.

Plated steel nickels (2000 to 2024)

To cut costs the Royal Canadian Mint moved the nickel to multi-ply plated steel, a steel core with thin layers of copper and nickel plated over it. Apart from a small number of 1999 test coins, coins dated 2000 were the first made this way. They carry a small P under the portrait, which stands for plated. They also stick to a magnet. Coins without the P were still struck alongside them in several years. From 2006 the Royal Canadian Mint's maple leaf logo began to replace the P as the mark on these coins.

Susanna Blunt's uncrowned portrait of Elizabeth II replaced Dora de Pédery-Hunt's in 2003. Several commemoratives broke up the beaver run: the 2002 Golden Jubilee double date, the 2005 return of the wartime Victory torch and the 2017 design for Canada's 150th. When the cent stopped being distributed in 2013, cash totals began to be rounded to the nearest five cents and the nickel became the smallest coin in everyday use. Coins dated 2023 brought the first portrait of Charles III, by Steven Rosati.

Almost every date here is face value. The ones to set aside are the 2000 P, the first steel issue at 2.3 million, the commemorative 2005 Victory and 2017 Canada 150 coins and any 2023 with the new king. For the early years check whether your coin has a P and test it with a magnet, because the plain and P coins are different metals. Charles III faces left, the opposite way from his mother.

Mintage chart

Specifications

Other 2003 Canadian nickels