Canadian 5-cent coin · George VI
1942 Canadian 5 cents (nickel)
A 1942 Canadian 5-cent coin contains no silver.
Reported mintage, 1942
10,243,778The Mint records this coin as 99% nickel. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1922 - 1942 | 99% nickel | 4.54 g | none | 21.21 mm | attracted |
| 1942 - 1943 | 88% copper, 12% zinc (tombac) | 4.54 g | none | 21.21 mm | not attracted |
Two entries here is not a mistake in the table. The Mint’s own specification for the 5-cent coin covers 1942 twice, because the metal changed during that year or at its boundary. Coins struck to each standard carry the same date.
How many were struck
Reported mintage, 1942
That is the 42nd lowest of the 117 years in which the Mint reports striking a 5-cent coin, in a range running from 200,050 to 278,530,000. 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
George VI
His Majesty King Charles III’s grandfather appeared in effigy on Canadian coins until his daughter’s Coronation in 1952. Until 1947, the inscription accompanying his image read GEORGIVS VI D:G:REX ET IND:IMP or GEORGIVS VI DEI GRA REX ET IND:IMP (depending on the denomination). After India became independent in 1947, the ET IND:IMP, which meant “George VI, Emperor of India,” was discontinued.
Designs on the reverse
1937 - 1942, 1946 - 1950, 1952 - 1966, 1968 - present
The beaver design was created in 1937 by G.E. Kruger-Gray as part of a coin modernization effort.
1942 - 1963
5-cent coins were made of nickel from 1921 to 1942. However, nickel's importance in the production of war materials demanded the development of another metal for coinage. Tombac, a kind of brass, was chosen as the replacement and was used until 1946. The 5-cent coin featured 12 sides to distinguish it from the 1-cent coin.
The rest of your 1942 change
Nobody inherits one denomination. If there is a 1942 5-cent coin in the tin, these are the other coins carrying that date and whether they hold any silver.
| Denomination | Composition in 1942 | Silver | Mintage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cent penny | 98% copper, 0.5% tin, 1.5% zinc | none | 76,113,708 |
| 10 cents dime | 80% silver, 20% copper | 0.0599 ozt | 10,214,011 |
| 25 cents quarter | 80% silver, 20% copper | 0.1500 ozt | 6,935,871 |
| 50 cents half dollar | 80% silver, 20% copper | 0.2999 ozt | 1,974,165 |
| 1 dollar | 80% silver, 20% copper | 0.5993 ozt | 0 |