7 denominations · 47 composition periods · 684 years
Canada has struck seven circulation denominations since the Ottawa mint opened. Each has its own record here: every composition the Mint publishes for it, the reported mintage for every year, and the reverse designs it carried. Five of the seven held silver at some point, four of those stopped within the same two years, one stopped nearly fifty years earlier, and two never held any at all.
| Denomination | Years on record | Compositions | Struck in total | Silver years | Richest standard | Silver in one | Value today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cent penny | 1908 to 2012 | 8 | 35,257,341,680 | none | - | none | - |
| 5 cents nickel | 1908 to 2024 | 10 | 6,792,105,976 | 1908 to 1921 | .925 | 0.0347 ozt | $3.08 |
| 10 cents dime | 1908 to 2024 | 7 | 10,714,584,568 | 1908 to 1967 | .925 | 0.0693 ozt | $6.15 |
| 25 cents quarter | 1908 to 2024 | 8 | 8,225,914,525 | 1908 to 1968 | .925 | 0.1734 ozt | $15.39 |
| 50 cents half dollar | 1908 to 2016 | 5 | 172,602,247 | 1908 to 1967 | .925 | 0.3456 ozt | $30.68 |
| 1 dollar | 1935 to 2024 | 7 | 1,694,106,382 | 1935 to 1967 | .800 | 0.5993 ozt | $53.20 |
| 2 dollars toonie | 1996 to 2024 | 2 | 1,077,596,500 | none | - | none | - |
1908 to 2012 · 35,257,341,680 struck
Struck from 1858 and withdrawn from circulation in 2012. Bronze, then plated zinc, then plated steel. It never contained silver.
1908 - 1920
95.5% copper, 3% tin, 1.5% zinc
1920 - 1941
95.5% copper, 3% tin, 1.5% zinc
1942 - 1977
98% copper, 0.5% tin, 1.5% zinc
8 composition periods in total, and 5 reverse designs across 105 years. See all of them · The designs
1908 to 2024 · 6,792,105,976 struck
The only Canadian denomination that stopped being silver in 1921 rather than in the 1960s. Everything from 1922 onward is a base metal coin, and the metal changed five times.
1908 - 1919
92.5% silver, 7.5% copper
1920 - 1921
80% silver, 20% copper
1922 - 1942
99% nickel
10 composition periods in total, 2 of them silver-bearing, and 9 reverse designs across 117 years. See all of them · The designs
1908 to 2024 · 10,714,584,568 struck
Sterling silver to 1919, 80% silver to 1967, pure nickel from 1968 and plated steel from 2000. The smallest Canadian coin and the one most often found in a jar.
1908 - 1910
92.5% silver, 7.5% copper
1910 - 1919
92.5% silver, 7.5% copper
1920 - 1967
80% silver, 20% copper
7 composition periods in total, 3 of them silver-bearing, and 5 reverse designs across 117 years. See all of them · The designs
1908 to 2024 · 8,225,914,525 struck
The denomination where the Mint's own record shows the 1967 to 1968 fall in fineness most clearly, from 80% silver to 50% and then to none at all.
1908 - 1910
92.5% silver, 7.5% copper
1910 - 1919
92.5% silver, 7.5% copper
1920 - 1952
80% silver, 20% copper
8 composition periods in total, 5 of them silver-bearing, and 13 reverse designs across 117 years. See all of them · The designs
1908 to 2016 · 172,602,247 struck
Silver until 1967 and struck only in small numbers since. It is legal tender that almost never appears in change, so most surviving examples are in collections.
1908 - 1919
92.5% silver, 7.5% copper
1920 - 1967
80% silver, 20% copper
1968 - 1979
99% nickel (minimum)
5 composition periods in total, 2 of them silver-bearing, and 5 reverse designs across 109 years. See all of them · The designs
1935 to 2024 · 1,694,106,382 struck
Three different coins under one denomination: the large 80% silver dollar of 1935 to 1967, the pure nickel dollar of 1968 to 1986, and the loonie from 1987.
1935 - 1967
80% silver, 20% copper
1968 - 1982
99.9% nickel
1982 - 1986
99% nickel (minimum)
7 composition periods in total, 1 of them silver-bearing, and 20 reverse designs across 90 years. See all of them · The designs
1996 to 2024 · 1,077,596,500 struck
Introduced in 1996, bimetallic from the start, and never struck in silver for circulation.
1996 - 2012
outer ring 99% nickel, inner core 92% copper, 6% aluminum, 2% nickel
2012 to date
outer ring - multi-ply nickel plated steel, insert - multi-ply brass plated aluminum bronze
2 composition periods in total, and 5 reverse designs across 29 years. See all of them · The designs