Which Canadian coins are silver? Years and silver content

Last reviewed: 3 November 2026. Coin specifications come from the Royal Canadian Mint and Canada’s coinage statutes, linked under Sources.

Canadian 10, 25 and 50 cent coins dated 1908 to 1967 contain silver. So do 1 dollar coins dated 1935 to 1967, and 5 cent coins dated 1908 to 1921. Some 1967 and 1968 dimes and quarters are 50% silver, though the Mint’s own list leaves out the 50% dime. For the circulation series covered here, the Mint’s specifications show no silver after 1968. This does not cover later silver collector or commemorative issues.

The quick list, for coins made for circulation:

• 5 cents: 1908 to 1921
• 10 cents (dimes): 1908 to 1967, plus some 1968 dimes
• 25 cents (quarters): 1908 to 1967, plus some 1968 quarters
• 50 cents: 1908 to 1967
• 1 dollar: 1935 to 1967

This guide starts in 1908, where the Mint’s specifications start. Older coins, which coin references also list as silver, and coins made for collectors are not covered.

To put a dollar figure on your coins at today’s silver price, use our silver coin melt calculator.

Canadian silver coins by year

Silver per coin is the standard weight times the silver content, with the troy ounce at 31.1034768 grams as defined in the Weights and Measures Act. Worn coins weigh a little less.

Coin	Years	Silver content	Coin weight	Silver per coin	Silver per coin (troy oz)
5 cents	1908 to 1919	92.5%	1.167 g	1.08 g	0.0347
5 cents	1920 to 1921	80%	1.167 g	0.93 g	0.0300
10 cents	1908 to 1910	92.5%	2.32 g	2.15 g	0.0690
10 cents	1910 to 1919	92.5%	2.33 g	2.16 g	0.0693
10 cents	1920 to 1967	80%	2.33 g	1.86 g	0.0599
10 cents	1967 to 1968	50% (flagged: not confirmed by the Mint)	2.33 g	1.17 g	0.0375
25 cents	1908 to 1910	92.5%	5.81 g	5.37 g	0.1728
25 cents	1910 to 1919	92.5%	5.83 g	5.39 g	0.1734
25 cents	1920 to 1967	80%	5.83 g	4.66 g	0.1500
25 cents	1967 to 1968	50%	5.83 g (statute; the Mint’s page says 5.05 g)	2.92 g	0.0937
50 cents	1908 to 1919	92.5%	11.62 g	10.75 g	0.3456
50 cents	1920 to 1967	80%	11.66 g	9.33 g	0.2999
1 dollar	1935 to 1967	80%	23.3 g	18.64 g	0.5993

Notes on the table:

• 92.5% silver is sterling, the minimum for a sterling mark under Canada’s Precious Metals Marking Regulations.
• 1910 appears twice for dimes and quarters because the standard weight changed that year. The silver content did not.
• The Mint lists the 80% quarter in two rows, 1920 to 1952 and 1953 to 1967, with the same weight and silver content.
• The Mint’s page lists the 50% quarter at 5.05 g, the weight of the nickel quarter that followed. The coinage Act that set the 50% standard gives the quarter 90 grains, which is 5.83 g, and the coin reference Numista agrees. We use 5.83 g.
• The dollar row includes circulating commemorative dollars such as the 1967 Centennial dollar.

Silver by coin

Canadian silver dimes

Dimes were 92.5% silver from 1908 to 1919 and 80% silver from 1920 to 1967. An 80% dime holds 0.0599 troy ounces of silver. Some 1967 and 1968 dimes are 50% silver, a version the Mint’s page does not list (see below).

Canadian silver quarters

Quarters were 92.5% silver from 1908 to 1919 and 80% silver from 1920 to 1967. An 80% quarter holds 0.1500 troy ounces of silver. Quarters dated 1967 can be 80% or 50% silver, and those dated 1968 can be 50% silver or nickel.

Canadian silver 50 cent coins

The 50 cent coin was 92.5% silver from 1908 to 1919 and 80% silver from 1920 to 1967. At 80% it holds 0.2999 troy ounces of silver. Coins dated 1968 are nickel.

Canadian silver dollars

Dollars dated 1935 to 1967 are 80% silver and hold 0.5993 troy ounces of silver each. The 1968 dollar is nickel.

Silver 5 cent coins

The 5 cent coin was 92.5% silver from 1908 to 1919 and 80% silver in 1920 and 1921, then nickel from 1922.

The 50% silver dime: why it carries a flag

The Mint’s specification page for the 10 cent coin has no 50% silver row. It shows 80% silver to 1967 and pure nickel from 1968. We list a 50% dime for 1967 and 1968 anyway, because Canada’s coinage law provides for one:

• A proclamation in force from 17 August 1967 curtailed the use of silver in 10 and 25 cent coins.
• An amendment to the Currency, Mint and Exchange Fund Act, assented to on 7 March 1968 (chapter 26 of the 1967 to 1968 statutes), sets a 50% silver standard for the 10 cent coin. Its standard weight is 36 grains, the same as the 80% dime, which is 2.33 g.

Coin references agree. Canadian Coin News says dimes and quarters went from 80% to 50% silver in the summer of 1967 and were struck in 50% silver in 1968. Coins and Canada lists a 1968 dime in 50% silver at 2.33 g. Numista lists a 1967 dime in 50% silver and notes a debate about whether it exists and what it weighs.

Until the Mint lists it, we flag the row and treat a 1967 or 1968 dime as possibly 50% silver.

Mixed years: 1967 and 1968

1967 dimes and quarters: 80% or 50% silver

The switch from 80% to 50% silver happened part way through 1967, so 1967 quarters come in both, and on the evidence above so do 1967 dimes. The two versions have the same legal standard weight: 36 grains for the dime and 90 grains for the quarter. The coin reference Carsley’s says they look and weigh the same and cannot be told apart unless melted.

So a 1967 quarter holds either 0.1500 or 0.0937 troy ounces of silver, and a 1967 dime holds either 0.0599 or 0.0375. A scale will not settle it. If you need one number, the lower one is the cautious estimate.

1968 dimes and quarters: 50% silver or nickel

The Mint lists 1968 quarters in both 50% silver and pure nickel. For 1968 dimes it lists only nickel, while the coinage Act and coin references support a 50% silver version too. Unlike the 1967 coins, these can be told apart by weight, and coin references describe a magnet test. Both checks are below.

1967 and 1968 50 cent coins and dollars

The Mint lists 1967 50 cent coins and dollars at 80% silver only, and lists the 1968 coins as nickel: 8.1 g for the 50 cent coin and 15.62 g for the dollar. The 1968 amendment also set 50% standards for these two coins, but the Mint lists no 50% version of either. Canadian Coin News reports that production of circulation 50 cent and dollar coins stopped in the summer of 1967.

How to check a coin

Start with the date, then weigh it

Find the date in the table. Only 1967 and 1968 dimes and quarters need more than that.

A digital scale that reads to 0.01 g can separate 1968 silver coins from nickel ones.

Coin dated 1968	50% silver	Pure nickel
Quarter	5.83 g	5.05 g
Dime	2.33 g (not confirmed by the Mint)	2.07 g

A silver quarter is about 0.78 g heavier than a nickel one. Wear lowers weight, so a worn silver coin can read a little under its standard weight. A scale cannot separate the 80% and 50% coins of 1967, because they share the same standard weight.

Try a magnet, with care

Numista, Numismatic News and the Standard Charlton Catalogue, as quoted on Numista, say 1968 nickel coins are attracted by a magnet. Numista adds that the silver quarters are not, Numismatic News calls the nickel only slightly magnetic, and Coins and Canada lists the 1968 silver dime as non-magnetic. The Charlton passage also says nickel coins are darker in colour. We found no official source for the magnet test, so treat it as a quick sort and confirm with a scale.

What Canadian silver coins are worth

Canadian coin melt value

Melt value is the silver in a coin times the silver price: troy ounces of silver per coin, times the silver price per troy ounce in Canadian dollars. It moves with the silver price. Our silver coin melt calculator works it out at the live price.

For a jar of mixed coins, face value is a useful shortcut. Canada’s coinage Acts set standard weights in step with face value: 360 grains for the dollar, 180 for the 50 cent coin, 90 for the quarter and 36 for the dime. So within each silver content, every dollar of face value holds about the same silver:

Silver content	Silver per $1 of face value
92.5% (1908 to 1919)	about 0.69 troy oz
80% (1920 to 1967; dollars from 1935)	about 0.60 troy oz
50% (1967 and 1968 dimes and quarters)	about 0.37 troy oz

Collector value is a separate number

Melt value is what the silver in a coin is worth at the spot price. It is not what a collector would pay. Collector value depends on the date, the variety and the condition of the coin, and for some coins it is much higher than melt value.

Before selling coins by weight, check whether any of them have collector value, in a current coin catalogue or with a coin dealer.

Melt value is a yardstick, not a plan to melt

Section 11 of the Currency Act says no one may melt down or break up a coin that is current and legal tender in Canada without a licence from the Minister. This guide does not cover how that rule applies to each old coin. Use melt value to judge offers, not as a step toward melting.

Selling or keeping old silver coins

Whether to sell, keep or pass coins on is your decision. A few points apply either way.

• Sort first. Group coins by denomination and silver content using the table. Keep 1967 and 1968 dimes and quarters separate.
• Ask how an offer was worked out. Ask which coins the buyer counted as silver, what silver content they used and what silver price. Then compare the offer with melt value. A second offer gives you a comparison.
• Registered accounts. Old circulation coins do not meet the test for bullion coins in an RRSP or TFSA. Under section 4900 of the Income Tax Regulations, a silver coin must be a legal tender bullion coin produced by the Royal Canadian Mint and at least 99.9% pure, among other tests. Our guides to gold in an RRSP and gold in a TFSA explain the rules for bullion in those accounts.
• Tax. The Income Tax Act names coins in its definition of listed personal property (section 54). For personal-use property, section 46 treats both the cost and the selling price as at least $1,000. How these rules apply to a sale depends on your situation, and the CRA or a tax professional can confirm.

Frequently asked questions about Canadian silver coins

What Canadian coins are silver?

Circulation dimes, quarters and 50 cent coins dated 1908 to 1967, dollars dated 1935 to 1967, and 5 cent coins dated 1908 to 1921. Some 1967 and 1968 dimes and quarters are 50% silver, though the Mint’s list leaves out the 50% dime.

What year did Canada stop using silver in coins?

For the circulation series covered here, 1968 is the last year. The 1968 quarter was struck in both 50% silver and pure nickel, and the coinage Act and coin references support a 50% silver 1968 dime too. The last silver 50 cent coins and dollars for circulation are dated 1967, and the 5 cent coin dropped silver after 1921.

Are Canadian dimes silver?

Dimes dated 1908 to 1967 are: 92.5% silver to 1919 and 80% from 1920. Some 1967 and 1968 dimes are 50% silver, although the Mint’s page does not list a 50% dime. Later dimes in this circulation series contain no silver; collector issues are outside this guide.

Are 1967 Canadian coins silver?

The 1967 dime, quarter, 50 cent coin and dollar all contain silver. The 50 cent coin and the dollar are 80% silver. The quarter is 80% or 50% silver, as is the dime on the evidence above (the Mint lists only the 80% dime), and the two versions cannot be told apart by weight or by eye. The 1967 5 cent coin is not silver: silver 5 cent coins end in 1921.

Is a 1968 Canadian quarter silver?

Some are. The 1968 quarter was struck in 50% silver, with a standard weight of 5.83 g, and in pure nickel at 5.05 g. Coin references say the nickel ones are attracted by a magnet and the silver ones are not.

Is a 1968 Canadian dime silver?

Possibly. The coinage Act and coin references support a 50% silver 1968 dime at 2.33 g. The Mint’s page lists 1968 dimes only as nickel, at 2.07 g.

Is a 1968 Canadian dollar silver?

No. The Mint lists the 1968 dollar as nickel, at 15.62 g. Circulation silver dollars end in 1967.

How much silver is in a Canadian silver dollar?

A dollar dated 1935 to 1967 weighs 23.3 g and is 80% silver, so it holds 18.64 g, or 0.5993 troy ounces, of pure silver. Its melt value is 0.5993 times the silver price per troy ounce in Canadian dollars. Collector value is separate and can be higher.

Can old Canadian silver coins go in an RRSP or TFSA?

Not as bullion. The rule for coins asks for a Royal Canadian Mint legal tender bullion coin of at least 99.9% silver, and old circulation coins are 92.5%, 80% or 50% silver. The separate rule for money requires its market value to be no more than its stated legal tender value. A silver coin worth more than its face value fails that money test too. CRA guidance also says rare coins held for their collectible value are not qualified investments.

Sources

Official sources, checked 3 November 2026:

• Royal Canadian Mint, technical specifications for circulation coins: 5 cents, 10 cents, 25 cents, 50 cents and 1 dollar
• Revised Statutes of Canada 1952, chapter 315, Currency, Mint and Exchange Fund Act, schedule of 80% silver standards
• Statutes of Canada 1967 to 1968, chapter 26, schedule of 50% silver standards, with the same volume’s list of proclamations and text
• Weights and Measures Act, Schedule II (troy ounce, grain and pound)
• Precious Metals Marking Regulations (sterling standard)
• Currency Act, section 11
• Income Tax Regulations, section 4900
• CRA Income Tax Folio S3-F10-C1, Qualified Investments, paragraph 1.12
• Income Tax Act, section 46 and section 54

Coin references named in the text (not official): Canadian Coin News, Coins and Canada, Numista, Numismatic News, the Standard Charlton Catalogue (as quoted on Numista) and Carsley’s.