Most old Canadian coins are worth their silver or a few cents, and the date tells you which. Dimes, quarters, half dollars and silver dollars dated 1920 through 1967 are 80 percent silver: with silver near $40 an ounce as of late 2026 that is about $2-3 for a dime, $5-7 for a quarter, $11-13 for a half and $22-26 for a dollar. Coins dated 1919 and earlier are sterling, 92.5 percent, and worth a little more per coin plus a collector premium on most dates. Some 1967 and all 1968 silver dimes and quarters are 50 percent silver, worth about half the figures above, and from 1968 the same coins also exist in nickel, which is magnetic and worth face. Pennies and nickels are mostly worth 1 to 25 cents, with a short list of dates in the 1920s that are worth $20-300 and three famous rarities that are worth far more.
The real money in Canadian coins is concentrated in a handful of dates: the 1921 50 cent piece, the 1921 silver 5 cent, the 1936 dot cent and dime, the 1948 silver dollar, the 1969 large date dime and the 1925 and 1926 "far 6" nickels. Everything else in a typical inherited jar is bullion or pocket change, which is still worth sorting carefully, because a single 1948 dollar pays for the afternoon.
Quick answer
- 1920-1967 dimes, quarters, halves, dollars: 80 percent silver, about $2-26 each by denomination.
- 1858-1919 silver coins: 92.5 percent silver, usually $5-50 and up as collector coins.
- 1968 and later: nickel or steel, worth face, except the 1968 50 percent silver dimes and quarters and the 1969 large date dime.
- Pennies: 1-25 cents except 1922-1926, the 1858, and the 1936 dot.
How to check your Canadian coins, step by step
- Sort by denomination and date. Set aside everything dated 1967 or earlier in silver denominations: 10, 25 and 50 cents and dollars. Set aside all cents and 5 cent coins dated 1936 or earlier. The rest is a quick look for the few modern dates that matter.
- Test with a magnet. Canadian coins from 1968 onward in 10, 25 and 50 cents and dollar denominations are mostly pure nickel and stick to a magnet. Silver does not. This instantly separates a 1968 silver quarter from a 1968 nickel quarter, which look identical. From 2000 onward most Canadian coins are plated steel and also stick. Our guide on how to tell if a coin is silver covers the other checks.
- Weigh the 1967 and 1968 dimes and quarters. Some 1967 quarters and dimes were struck in 50 percent silver and all 1968 silver ones were. Weight does not separate them, but the 1968 nickel issues are a touch lighter and sound different. In practice, treat non-magnetic 1967 and 1968 dimes and quarters as 50 percent silver and 1966 and earlier as 80 percent.
- Read the dates against the key list. On cents, look for 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925 and 1926, and check any 1936 cent and dime for a small raised dot below the date on the reverse. On 5 cents, look for 1921 silver, and 1925 and 1926 nickel. On 50 cents, 1921 and any 1931 to 1938 date. On dollars, 1945, 1947, 1948.
- Look at the monarch. Victoria (to 1901), Edward VII (1902-1910), George V (1911-1936), George VI (1937-1952) and Elizabeth II (1953 onward). Victoria and Edward coins carry a premium on most dates simply for age and survival. A 1911 coin without DEI GRATIA in the legend, the "godless" issue, is worth about $5-20 more than its neighbours.
- Judge the wear. On the silver dollar and 50 cent voyageur and arms designs, check the canoe lines and the shield detail. On older coins, the crown and wreath. A coin with full detail and mint luster can be worth several times a worn one of the same date. The coin grading scale explained applies to Canadian coins the same way.
- Do not clean. Polished silver and shiny bronze lose the collector premium.
Silver content and melt value by denomination
Figures use silver at about $40 an ounce as of late 2026. The Royal Canadian Mint changed fineness twice, in 1920 and 1967-1968, which is why the same design can be worth three different amounts.
| Coin | Years | Silver | Silver weight, troy oz | Metal value, about |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 cents, small silver | 1858-1921 | 92.5 percent | 0.035 | $1.40, but most dates sell for $3-30 |
| 10 cents | 1858-1919 | 92.5 percent | 0.069 | $2.75, most dates $5-30 |
| 10 cents | 1920-1967 | 80 percent | 0.060 | $2.40 |
| 10 cents | 1967 (some) and 1968 | 50 percent | 0.0375 | $1.50 |
| 25 cents | 1870-1919 | 92.5 percent | 0.173 | $7, most dates $10-50 |
| 25 cents | 1920-1967 | 80 percent | 0.150 | $6 |
| 25 cents | 1967 (some) and 1968 | 50 percent | 0.094 | $3.75 |
| 50 cents | 1870-1919 | 92.5 percent | 0.346 | $14, most dates $20-100 |
| 50 cents | 1920-1967 | 80 percent | 0.300 | $12 |
| Silver dollar | 1935-1967 | 80 percent | 0.600 | $24 |
Dealers buy common 80 percent silver in bulk at a small discount to these figures. A bag of mixed 1920-1966 dimes and quarters is sold by weight, not by date, unless you have pulled the key dates first. Our guide to Canadian silver dollar value goes through the dollars year by year.
Key dates worth far more than silver
| Coin | What to look for | Value worn (VG to Fine), about | Value uncirculated, about |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 50 cents | The date; almost the whole mintage was melted | $30,000-60,000 | $150,000 and up |
| 1921 5 cents, silver | Small silver 5 cent, the "Prince" | $4,000-8,000 | $30,000 and up |
| 1936 dot cent | Tiny dot under the date on the reverse | Three known, hundreds of thousands | n/a |
| 1936 dot 10 cents | Dot under the date | $50,000 and up, very few known | n/a |
| 1936 dot 25 cents | Dot under the date, the one you can find | $100-300 | $1,000-3,000 |
| 1925 5 cents | Nickel, low mintage | $50-150 | $800-2,000 |
| 1926 5 cents, far 6 | The 6 sits well away from the maple leaf | $150-400 | $3,000-8,000 |
| 1923 cent | Small cent, lowest mintage of the series | $30-70 | $300-800 |
| 1922, 1924, 1925, 1926 cents | Better dates | $5-40 | $100-400 |
| 1858 cent | First Canadian cent, Victoria | $40-100 | $300-1,000 |
| 1948 silver dollar | Low mintage, "1948" clear | $1,500-2,500 | $3,000-6,000 |
| 1947 maple leaf dollar | Small maple leaf after the date | $200-400 | $500-1,500 |
| 1945 silver dollar | Low mintage | $200-350 | $600-1,500 |
| 1938 50 cents | Low mintage George VI | $30-60 | $300-800 |
| 1969 large date 10 cents | Numerals clearly larger than the 1969 small date | $10,000-20,000 | $30,000 and up |
| 1973 large bust 25 cents | More detail in the Queen's hair and shoulder, 132 rim beads | $100-200 | $300-600 |
| 1991 25 cents, 1991 50 cents | Low mintage modern | $5-15 | $20-50 |
The 1921 50 cent piece is called the king of Canadian coins because the Mint melted about half a million of them in 1929 and fewer than a hundred survive. Almost all 1921 halves offered are altered 1931 coins or outright copies, so one that turns up needs a grading service before anyone pays. The 1936 dot coins were struck in early 1937 using 1936 dies with a dot added, while new George VI dies were prepared; the quarter is scarce but obtainable, the cent and dime are famous rarities.
Canadian pennies: what matters and what does not
Canada struck large cents from 1858 to 1920 and small cents from 1920 to 2012, when the cent was withdrawn. The large cents are worth about $1-5 each in worn condition for common dates from 1876 to 1920, more for Victoria dates in the 1880s and 1890s with low mintages, and $40 and up for the 1858. Small cents from 1920 to 1936 with George V are worth about 25 cents to $2 apart from the 1922-1926 run, and 1937-1952 George VI cents are 2-10 cents each in circulated condition. From 1953 onward a cent is worth face unless it is uncirculated, a proof-like issue or a variety such as the 1955 no shoulder fold, worth about $5-20. Composition changed from bronze to copper-plated zinc in 1997 and to copper-plated steel in 2000, which is why newer cents stick to a magnet. A jar of mixed Canadian pennies is worth about 1-2 cents each for the copper content on pre-1997 coins and nothing much otherwise; the job is pulling the 1920s dates and checking any 1936 for a dot.
Common mistakes
- Selling 1967 and 1968 dimes and quarters as silver without a magnet test. The 1968 nickel issues are common and worth face.
- Assuming the 1967 Centennial coins are rare. They were struck in enormous numbers; a 1967 silver dollar is worth about $25 and a 1967 cent a few cents.
- Treating a 1921 50 cent as genuine. Most are altered 1931 coins, and the real ones sell through major auction houses with grading.
- Missing the dot on a 1936 quarter because it is small and on the reverse under the date, not on the obverse.
- Cleaning dark bronze cents to make the date readable. Use a magnifier and angled light instead.
- Reading a damaged 1969 dime as the large date variety. The large date is dramatically different and rare; the small date is the normal coin.
- Overlooking 1911 coins because they look ordinary. The missing DEI GRATIA adds a modest premium on every denomination.
What to photograph
- Both faces of each coin, straight on, in daylight or under a lamp angled from the side, filling the frame.
- A close macro of the date on any 1936 cent, dime or quarter, so the dot area is sharp.
- The date and the gap to the maple leaf on 1926 nickels.
- The edge, for any 1967 or 1968 dime or quarter you cannot test with a magnet.
- The canoe and water lines on silver dollars, and the shield on 50 cents, to show wear.
- For a suspected 1921 50 cent, the date and the surrounding field at the highest magnification you can manage; alteration marks show as tooling around the last digit.
How WorthPic reads Canadian coin photos
WorthPic runs on the newest and most capable AI model available, tuned for exactly this kind of identification. Give it both faces of a Canadian coin and it reads the monarch, the denomination, the date, the legend and the design type, then places the coin in the right fineness period, 92.5 percent, 80 percent, 50 percent or nickel, and checks the date against the key list. It gives an honest value range from the silver floor upward, states the condition it can see from the high points, and says which detail decided the number. If the dot area on a 1936 coin is out of focus, or the 6 on a 1926 nickel is not clear enough to call near or far, it says so and asks for that shot. It identifies and estimates; it does not vouch for a coin or rule out an altered date from a photo, which is exactly the problem with 1921 halves and 1936 dot coins. For those, and for any coin you think is worth more than about $100, a grading service such as PCGS, NGC or ICCS in Canada is what settles the value.
When to get it looked at in person
- PCGS, NGC or ICCS for any 1921 50 cent or 5 cent, 1936 dot coin, 1948 dollar, 1969 large date dime, 1925 or 1926 far 6 nickel, or any Victoria coin in high grade. Grading costs about $20-50 per coin and a sealed holder is what buyers pay for.
- A coin dealer for bulk 80 percent silver, which trades at a small discount to melt, and for a quick scan of a jar for better dates. Get two quotes.
- A coin show or club for a second opinion on a variety.
- An auction house only once a rarity has a grade.
For other countries in the same box, foreign coins worth anything covers the general approach, and inherited coins worth anything covers the sorting.