Silver Canadian Coins (1858-1967)

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Silver Canadian Coins were first minted in 1858 by the Royal Mint in London, England. The first silver coins minted were five-cent, ten-cent and twenty-cent coins containing 92.5 percent silver.

The twenty-five cent coin (Silver Canadian Quarter) replaced the twenty-cent coin in 1870 and the fifty-cent coin (Silver Canadian Half-Dollar) was introduced. Some of these silver coins were minted by the Heaton Mint (a privately owned mint located in Birmingham, England) and bear the "H" mint mark. In 1908, the Royal Canadian Mint was established to begin production of Canada's coins.

Silver coins with 92.5 percent silver fineness...

Note: There are approximately 31.103 grams in a Troy ounce.

Due to the rising price of silver, the Canadian government made the decision to reduce the amount of silver in their coins to 80 percent. This started in 1920 and continued until 1967.

Canadian Nickels containing silver were discontinued after 1921. 1966 was the last year for Silver Canadian Dollars (pictured below).

Silver coins with 80 percent silver fineness...

*The silver content for the above coins are for circulated coins. Uncirculated coins have a slightly higher silver content due to lack of circulation "wear".

By mid-1967, Canada reduced the silver content of the Canadian Dime and Canadian Quarter from 80 to 50 percent. No Silver Canadian Dollars were minted after 1966 and silver half-dollars were discontinued after 1967. By mid-1968, silver was removed from all Canadian coins of these denominations.

Silver coins with 50 percent silver fineness...

To determine the approximate value of a Silver Canadian Coin, multiply the amount of silver (in Troy ounces) by the current spot price of silver (can be found on the Home Page).

Example: The approximate value of a Silver Canadian dollar with the spot price of silver at U.S. $30.00 is U.S. $18.00 ($30.00 x .6).

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