Canadian 50-cent coin · Elizabeth II
1998 Canadian 50 cents (half dollar)
A 1998 Canadian 50-cent coin contains no silver.
Reported mintage, 1998
308,000The Mint records this coin as 99% nickel (minimum). There is no melt trade in it and no dealer prices it by weight.
What the Mint says it is made of
| Period | Composition | Weight | Silver | Diameter | Magnet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 - 1999 | 99% nickel (minimum) | 8.1 g | none | 27.13 mm | attracted |
How many were struck
Reported mintage, 1998
That is the 29th lowest of the 96 years in which the Mint reports striking a 50-cent coin, in a range running from 19,213 to 14,440,000. Mintage is a count of coins made, not of coins that survive: the Mint has no way of knowing how many of these were later returned and melted, and for a silver denomination in the 1960s that number is large.
Portrait on the obverse
Elizabeth II
A new effigy of Queen Elizabeth II was unveiled in 1990 when she was 64 years old. This was the first to be designed by a Canadian, Dora de Pédery-Hunt, and the coin kept the ELIZABETH II D G REGINA inscription.
Designs on the reverse
1959 - 1966, 1968 - present
The Canadian Government approved a new Coat of Arms in 1957. In 1959 it appeared on the 50-cent coin, where it remains to this day.
1997 - present
In 1994, the motto of the Order of Canada was added to the Coat of Arms, which is the version of the coin produced today.
The rest of your 1998 change
Nobody inherits one denomination. If there is a 1998 50-cent coin in the tin, these are the other coins carrying that date and whether they hold any silver.
| Denomination | Composition in 1998 | Silver | Mintage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cent penny | 98.4% zinc, 1.6% copper plating | none | 999,578,000 |
| 5 cents nickel | 75% copper, 25% nickel | none | 156,873,000 |
| 10 cents dime | 99.9% nickel | none | 203,514,000 |
| 25 cents quarter | 99.9% nickel | none | 0 |
| 1 dollar | 91.5% nickel, 8.5% bronze plating | none | 0 |
| 2 dollars toonie | outer ring 99% nickel, inner core 92% copper, 6% aluminum, 2% nickel | none | 5,309,000 |