Five cents

Canadian circulation coin · 1858–present

Denomination overview

Canada's five-cent denomination moved from the tiny sterling-silver “fish scale” to a large nickel format in 1922. The beaver reverse arrived in 1937, while wartime metal substitutions, the Victory reverse, later copper-nickel, and plated steel created distinct collecting generations.

Scope: 4 major types, 10 official technical standards, and 117 published annual rows from 1908 through 2024. Unpublished years, prices, survivor estimates, and unverified varieties are not inferred.

Move from denomination to major type

First separate the 14.494 mm silver format from the 21.2 mm large format. On later coins, distinguish the two-maple-leaf, beaver, Victory V, nickel-refinery, Centennial hare, and other special reverses before interpreting metal or shape.

• Major types — Small silver fish-scale format, Large nickel two-maple-leaf format, Beaver five-cent family, Wartime Victory V reverse
• Identification order — First separate the 14.494 mm silver format from the 21.2 mm large format. On later coins, distinguish the two-maple-leaf, beaver, Victory V, nickel-refinery, Centennial hare, and other special reverses before interpreting metal or shape.
• Production evidence — Official 1908–2024 rows appear in an adaptive square-root chart and full annual table.

The history of Canadian Five-Cent Coin

Canada's five-cent denomination moved from the tiny sterling-silver “fish scale” to a large nickel format in 1922. The beaver reverse arrived in 1937, while wartime metal substitutions, the Victory reverse, later copper-nickel, and plated steel created distinct collecting generations.

First separate the 14.494 mm silver format from the 21.2 mm large format. On later coins, distinguish the two-maple-leaf, beaver, Victory V, nickel-refinery, Centennial hare, and other special reverses before interpreting metal or shape.

The Mint presents principal reverses, technical specifications, and annual mintages as separate evidence. This page preserves those boundaries rather than automatically assigning every denomination total to one special reverse.

A strong type set begins with silver, large nickel, beaver, and wartime Victory representatives, then adds the 12-sided and plated-metal generations. Annual totals are production context, not survival or rarity rankings.

1. 1858 · Silver fish scale — The crossed-bough silver five-cent piece introduced the denomination.
2. 1908 · Ottawa production table begins — The Mint's published annual table begins with Ottawa production.
3. 1920 · Silver fineness changes — The official standard moved from sterling to 80% silver.
4. 1922 · Large nickel format — The diameter increased and two maple leaves replaced the crossed boughs.
5. 1937 · Beaver reverse — G.E. Kruger-Gray's beaver joined the national design modernization.
6. 1942 · Wartime substitution — Tombac and a 12-sided form responded to nickel's wartime importance.
7. 1943–1945 · Victory coin — Thomas Shingles paired a large V and torch with a Morse-code rim message.
8. 1951 · Nickel discovery — Stephen Trenka's refinery reverse marked 200 years since nickel was identified.
9. 1967 · Centennial hare — Alex Colville's hopping hare replaced the beaver for the Centennial issue.
10. 2000 · Plated-steel standard — The denomination entered its modern lighter plated-steel generation.

Design generations and identification

First separate the 14.494 mm silver format from the 21.2 mm large format. On later coins, distinguish the two-maple-leaf, beaver, Victory V, nickel-refinery, Centennial hare, and other special reverses before interpreting metal or shape.

• Silver Five Cents · 1858–1921 · Not established — Value within crossed maple boughs. Small silver fish-scale format.
• Large Five Cents: Maple Leaves · 1922–1936 · W.H.J. Blakemore — Value flanked by maple leaves. Large nickel two-maple-leaf format.
• Beaver Five Cents · 1937–present · G. E. Kruger-Gray — Beaver on a rock above the denomination. Beaver five-cent family.
• Victory Five Cents · 1943–1945 · Thomas Shingles — Large V with torch; rim message encoded in Morse code. Wartime Victory V reverse.

Attribute with denomination, date, portrait, principal reverse, diameter, weight, thickness, shape, edge, and metal response together; colour or wear alone does not establish a new type.

Read long-run production on a square-root scale

The official table provides 117 annual rows from 1908 through 2024, summing to 6,792,105,976 pieces.

The square-root scale compresses extreme highs while keeping zero-production years visible; use the annual table for exact figures.

Design and technology turning points

These anchors support identification and planning; they are not price or rarity rankings.

• Silver fish scale — The crossed-bough silver five-cent piece introduced the denomination.
• Ottawa production table begins — The Mint's published annual table begins with Ottawa production.
• Silver fineness changes — The official standard moved from sterling to 80% silver.
• Large nickel format — The diameter increased and two maple leaves replaced the crossed boughs.
• Beaver reverse — G.E. Kruger-Gray's beaver joined the national design modernization.
• Wartime substitution — Tombac and a 12-sided form responded to nickel's wartime importance.
• Victory coin — Thomas Shingles paired a large V and torch with a Morse-code rim message.
• Nickel discovery — Stephen Trenka's refinery reverse marked 200 years since nickel was identified.
• Centennial hare — Alex Colville's hopping hare replaced the beaver for the Centennial issue.
• Plated-steel standard — The denomination entered its modern lighter plated-steel generation.

Type, special reverse, and variety are different levels

Confirm the major type first, then the special reverse or technical generation; create a variety only when an authoritative source defines and supports it.

1. Confirm denomination and principal design — First separate the 14.494 mm silver format from the 21.2 mm large format. On later coins, distinguish the two-maple-leaf, beaver, Victory V, nickel-refinery, Centennial hare, and other special reverses before interpreting metal or shape.
2. Match the technical standard — Match the date to the official composition, weight, diameter, and thickness generation.
3. Preserve the evidence boundary — Do not infer a variety, error, price, or survivor count from an annual total, colour, or wear.

Mint annual production table

The table preserves each published figure from 1908 through 2024, including zero-production rows and any split label stated by the Mint.

Annual figures are denomination-level production records; special reverses cannot always be separated from a same-year regular design.

Composition, weight, and dimension generations

A transition year can contain overlapping or parallel standards; the page preserves the Mint's published date labels.

1908 – 1919 · Round

Composition

92.5% silver, 7.5% copper

Weight

1.167 g

Diameter

14.494 mm

Thickness

Not stated

1920 – 1921 · Round

Composition

80% silver, 20% copper

Weight

1.167 g

Diameter

14.494 mm

Thickness

Not stated

1922 – 1942 · Round or 12-sided; see design chronology

Composition

99% nickel

Weight

4.54 g

Diameter

21.21 mm

Thickness

1.7 mm

1942 – 1943 · Round or 12-sided; see design chronology

Composition

88% copper, 12% zinc (tombac)

Weight

4.54 g

Diameter

21.21 mm

Thickness

1.7 mm

1944 – 1945 · Round or 12-sided; see design chronology

Composition

chrome plated steel

Weight

4.54 g

Diameter

21.21 mm

Thickness

1.7 mm

1946 – 1951 · Round or 12-sided; see design chronology

Composition

99.9% nickel

Weight

4.54 g

Diameter

21.21 mm

Thickness

1.7 mm

1951 – 1954 · Round or 12-sided; see design chronology

Composition

chrome plated steel

Weight

4.54 g

Diameter

21.21 mm

Thickness

1.7 mm

1955 – 1981 · Round or 12-sided; see design chronology

Composition

99.9% nickel

Weight

4.54 g

Diameter

21.21 mm

Thickness

1.7 mm

1982 – 1999 · Round

Composition

75% copper, 25% nickel

Weight

4.6 g

Diameter

21.2 mm

Thickness

1.76 mm

2000 – present · Round

Composition

94.5% steel, 3.5% copper, 2% nickel plating

Weight

3.95 g

Diameter

21.2 mm

Thickness

1.76 mm

Collecting paths and checklist

A strong type set begins with silver, large nickel, beaver, and wartime Victory representatives, then adds the 12-sided and plated-metal generations. Annual totals are production context, not survival or rarity rankings.

• Major-type set — Choose one clearly attributable representative of every major type.
• Design generations — Add officially identified special reverses and design interruptions.
• Technical generations — Expand by composition, dimensions, weight, shape, and security features.
• Source-backed annual study — Study varieties, errors, grades, and markets only when issue-level evidence is sufficient.

Collector checklist

• Do not clean the coin.
• Compare date, portrait, reverse, edge, weight, and diameter together.
• Record special reverses separately from the base type.
• Annual mintage is not survival or rarity.
• Have consequential attributions reviewed by an appropriate specialist.

Data scope

This page publishes reviewed denomination- and major-type-level evidence. Years not published by the Mint remain unknown, zero appears only when the source reports zero, and prices or survivor estimates are not inferred from production.

Sources

Mint evidence anchors designs, specifications, and annual rows; the listed government, museum, or research sources supplement historical and legal context.

1. 5 centsRoyal Canadian Mint

   Five-cent design and composition chronology, including Victory and nickel-discovery issues.

2. A History of the Canadian DollarBank of Canada

   Decimal adoption, 1858 coinage, 1870 Dominion coinage, provincial issues, Newfoundland, and mint history.