2011 Canadian Nickel
The 2011 Canadian Nickel is a Canadian nickel struck for circulation with 230.3 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2011
- Circulation mintage
- 230,328,000
- 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 2011 Canadian Nickel worth?
With 230.3 million made, the 2011 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:
- Full uncirculated luster
- A recognized variety or genuine error
- Coins from a specimen or proof set
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 2011 Canadian Nickel rare?
- No. 230.3 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2011 Canadian nickels were made?
- 230,328,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 2011 Canadian Nickel made of?
- Plated steel. It weighs 3.95 g and measures 21.2 mm.
- Is the 2011 Canadian Nickel still legal tender?
- Yes. Canadian 5-cent coins are legal tender.
The 2011 nickel in context
The mint struck 230,328,000 nickels in 2011, one of the largest totals on record and nearly double 2010. The coin is plated steel with the Blunt portrait and the Kruger Gray beaver. It is extremely common. For a set, any clean coin from change will do, while rolls straight from a bank sometimes hold bright, unmarked examples.
How to recognize it
The 2011 Canadian Nickel is round, 21.2 mm across and plated steel.
2011 Canadian Nickel by the numbers
By the numbers, the 2011 Canadian Nickel ranks 159th lowest of 161 Canadian nickel dates and varieties from 1858 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 2007 Canadian Nickel (221.5 million); the next more common is the 2009 Canadian Nickel (266.4 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2008 Canadian Nickel with 278.5 million, about 1.2 times as many. The scarcest is the 1884 Canadian Nickel with 200,000, 1152 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 2011 output was 1.8 times the 2010 figure and 1.1 times the 2012 figure.
Over the 2010s the Mint produced 1.26 billion five cent coins across 11 dates and varieties; the 2011 Canadian Nickel accounts for 18% of that.
What to check on your 2011 Canadian Nickel
- Try a magnet. Plated steel is magnetic, so a genuine 2011 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
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 5 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 2011 |
| Circulation mintage | 230,328,000 |
| Composition | Plated steel |
| Weight | 3.95 g |
| Diameter | 21.2 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
Mintage figures: Nickel (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.