The 1945 And 1947 Semi-Key Canadian Dollars

PCGS - Many Canadian Dollars of the mid-20th century are considered common issues, and thus they represent an excellent series for collectors who appreciate large silver coins with gorgeous designs. However, those who collect the Canadian Dollars date by date, issue by issue, run into some hurdles. There are a few dates that pose significant financial challenges. The absolute series key is the 1948 King George VI Dollar, which has a mintage of only 18,780 pieces and trades for around $700 and up in circulated grades.

Then there is a smattering of other tough pieces, including some major varieties known across the series. Finally, there are two regular-issue semi-keys: the 1945 and 1947 Maple Leaf King George VI Dollars. These two mid-1940s Canadian Dollars trade for less than $200 apiece in the well-circulated grades, yet they pose challenges to Canada Dollar enthusiasts in much the same manner as does their higher-priced key-date counterpart.

The 1945 Canada Dollar
The 1945 King George VI Dollar saw a mintage of 38,391 pieces, a much smaller figure than most of the issue's predecessors, though it is of the same physical and technical specifications as other King George VI Dollars. The King George VI obverse design by T. Humphrey Paget is paired with the standard Voyageur design by Emanuel Hahn, and the 80% silver coin weighs 23.33 grams and is 36 millimeters in diameter.


1945 King George VI Canada Dollar, PCGS MS66

So, why is the 1945 Dollar so scarce? While no Canadian Dollars were minted from 1940 through 1944 during the height of the nation's involvement in World War II, there were sufficient silver dollars already in circulation to carry commerce needs in 1945. Thus, mintages remained low in 1945. Most examples in the circulated grades retail for between $125 in F12 to $200 in XF40. A nice AU50 specimen will fetch around $250, while typical Mint State examples trade for approximately $350 to $500. One of the highest prices ever attained for a 1945 King George VI Dollar was paid in 2019 for a delicately toned PCGS MS66 that realized $26,400.

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