Canadian 5-cent coin · Elizabeth II
1954 Canadian 5 cents (nickel)
A 1954 Canadian 5-cent coin contains no silver.
Reported mintage, 1954
6,998,662The Mint records this coin as chrome plated steel. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 - 1954 | chrome plated steel | 4.54 g | none | 21.21 mm | attracted |
How many were struck
Reported mintage, 1954
That is the 36th 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
Elizabeth II
The effigy of Queen Elizabeth II first appeared on Canadian coins in 1953 when she was 27 years old. The effigy pictured here was used until 1964, with the inscription ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA, meaning “Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, the Queen. ”
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 1954 change
Nobody inherits one denomination. If there is a 1954 5-cent coin in the tin, these are the other coins carrying that date and whether they hold any silver.
| Denomination | Composition in 1954 | Silver | Mintage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cent penny | 98% copper, 0.5% tin, 1.5% zinc | none | 22,181,760 |
| 10 cents dime | 80% silver, 20% copper | 0.0599 ozt | 4,493,150 |
| 25 cents quarter | 80% silver, 20% copper | 0.1500 ozt | 2,318,891 |
| 50 cents half dollar | 80% silver, 20% copper | 0.2999 ozt | 506,305 |
| 1 dollar | 80% silver, 20% copper | 0.5993 ozt | 246,606 |