1908 Canadian Penny
The 1908 Canadian Penny is a one-cent coin struck for circulation with 2.4 million made. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1908
- Circulation mintage
- 2,401,506
- Value band
- Small premium
- Composition
- Bronze (95.5% copper, 3% tin, 1.5% zinc)
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 1908 Canadian Penny worth?
A large cent from 1908 is old enough that collectors want it in any condition. Worn, dark coins bring a small premium; coins with clear detail in the hair and leaves bring much more. Any with original red color are in a class of their own.
What would make yours worth more:
- Original red color rather than brown
- Sharp detail in the portrait and leaves
- A recognized variety for the date
- Professional grading for a key date
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 1908 Canadian Penny rare?
- It is scarcer than most Canadian pennies. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many 1908 Canadian pennies were made?
- 2,401,506 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1908 Canadian Penny made of?
- Bronze (95.5% copper, 3% tin, 1.5% zinc). It weighs 5.67 g and measures 25.4 mm.
- Is the 1908 Canadian Penny still legal tender?
- Yes. The Royal Canadian Mint stopped distributing cents in 2013, but they remain legal tender. Cash payments are rounded to the nearest five cents, so most pennies now sit in jars or go to banks.
The 1908 penny in context
The 1908 is Canada's first homemade cent. A branch of the Royal Mint opened in Ottawa in January 1908, ending fifty years of dependence on London and Birmingham for coins. Cents were among its first products and 2,401,506 were struck that year. You can even see the change in the records: earlier mintages are given as round numbers, while this one is an exact count, a style that continues from here on.
Collectors who like firsts have always paid attention to this date. The design did not change, since Edward VII had only been on the throne for a few years, so the 1908 looks just like the London cents of 1902 to 1907. What makes it special is its place in the story of Canadian coinage. From this point every Canadian cent came from a Canadian mint, a run that continued for more than a century until the last cent was struck in 2012. The mintage is in line with the London 1907, so it is not scarce, but it is a natural first coin for an Ottawa set.
How to recognize it
Edward VII's crowned and robed bust by George William de Saulles fills the obverse, with EDWARDVS VII DEI GRATIA REX IMPERATOR around it. The reverse has ONE CENT and the date inside a beaded circle, surrounded by a vine of maple leaves. There is no mint mark; Ottawa did not sign its cents. The coin is 25.4 mm across and weighs 5.67 g. Make sure the final digit is an 8 and not a worn 3 or 6, since 1903 and 1906 are similar in style. The open loops of the 8 are usually the last part of the date to fade.
1908 Canadian Penny by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 1908 Canadian Penny ranks 24th lowest of 151 Canadian cent dates and varieties from 1858 to 2012. The next scarcer is the 1907 Canadian Penny (2.4 million); the next more common is the 1884 Canadian Penny (2.5 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1981 Round Canadian Penny with 1.21 billion, about 504 times as many. The scarcest is the 1858 Canadian Penny with 421,000, 5.7 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1908 output was 3 times the 1907 figure and 1.7 times fewer than 1909.
Over the 1900s the Mint produced 32.9 million cents across 12 dates and varieties; the 1908 Canadian Penny accounts for 7.3% of that.
What to check on your 1908 Canadian Penny
- Check the color. Collectors describe copper cents as red, red-brown or brown; original red color is worth far more than toned or dull surfaces.
- Never clean it. Rubbing, polishing or dipping leaves fine scratches and an unnatural color that collectors spot at once.
- Look at the high points of the portrait and the lettering. Wear there sets the grade. The grade in turn drives the value of older cents.
With about 2.4 million struck, the 1908 is an ordinary Edwardian date in terms of numbers. Worn coins carry a small premium and sharp pieces with crisp leaves and crown detail earn more. Its first Ottawa status gives it a little extra appeal and many collectors seek a nicer example of this date than they would for its neighbors. Watch for cleaning and corrosion, both common on large cents of this age. A coin with honest brown surfaces and no spots is usually the best buy.
Edward VII large cents, 1902 to 1910
Queen Victoria died in January 1901 and cents dated 1901 still carry her portrait. Edward VII's effigy arrived on cents dated 1902. George William de Saulles modeled the crowned, robed bust, with the legend EDWARDVS VII DEI GRATIA REX IMPERATOR around it. The coin itself did not change: still 25.4 mm, still 5.67 g of bronze with a maple vine around the date and denomination. If you hold a large cent and the portrait is a bearded king, you are in this short reign.
The big change of the decade was where the coins were made. Canada had relied on London and Birmingham since 1858, but in January 1908 a branch of the Royal Mint opened in Ottawa and from then on Canadian cents were struck at home. The last coins from the Heaton mint are the 1907-H cents, just 800,000 of them, the lowest figure of the reign. You can even see the switch in the records: up to 1907 the published mintages are round numbers, while from 1908 they become exact counts such as 2,401,506.
For most Edward VII dates, mintages run between two and five million, so they are available without much effort in worn condition. The 1907-H is the one to look for. Check below the date for the H, since a 1907 with no mark is the far more common London strike. The 1908, as the first Ottawa cent, gets attention from collectors who like firsts. Edward died in May 1910, but cents dated 1910 still show his portrait. Wear hits the crown, the beard and the leaves first, so judge condition there.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 1 cent |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1908 |
| Circulation mintage | 2,401,506 |
| Composition | Bronze (95.5% copper, 3% tin, 1.5% zinc) |
| Weight | 5.67 g |
| Diameter | 25.4 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1908 cent the first struck in Canada?
Yes. The Ottawa branch of the Royal Mint opened in January 1908 and the 1908 cents were its first. Earlier Canadian cents were struck in London or at the Heaton mint in Birmingham.
How many 1908 Canadian cents were made?
The records give 2,401,506 for circulation. It is the first cent mintage recorded as an exact count, reflecting the move to Ottawa. It is similar in size to the London 1907 run.
Mintage figures: Penny (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.