Canadian residents: GST/HST is included in the price. You may be eligible for a partial refund. See listing bottom for more.
Shipping information is at listing bottom. Please read.
Select what year, grade, and the quantity you would like.
The photos are representative the coin(s) you'll receive. What your coin looks like will depend upon the grade you order. Each coin is supplied in a coin flip.
Most of these coins (F, VF, EF, AU) are circulated, and are worn. Some have visible dirt. These coins are an opportunity to fill in collection gaps, or to grab an inexpensive piece of history. Coins from this era are not particularly valuable unless they are in mint state or of a rare variety. Lower grade coins offerred here are intended to fill out a collection, not to be an investment. (A quick description of the various grades is at bottom).
George VI died in 1952. 1953 was the first year Queen Elizabeth II appeared on the Canadian nickel.
This listing covers the so-called "Young Queen Elizabeth II" years, with the exception of 1953, which are offerred in a separate listing.
A few notes regarding this era of nickels:
1953: Chromium plated steel. Controversy and redesign resulted in complexities which is why this year is in a separate listing. That listing is exhaustive in its explanations. With pictures!
1954: Chromium plated steel. Lower grades of these years look dirty, if not rusty, as the chrome wears off.
1955-1962: Back to the good old nickel actually made from nickel.
1963: The 12-sided nickel (dodecagonal) is replaced by a round one going forward.
1964: Last year of the "Young Queen" portrait.
Rarer varieties, such as the 1962 Double Date or the 1957 Bug Tail are offerred in their own listings, if available.
Grades:
The Sheldon grading system grades a coin from 0 to 70. These are, in part, subdivided, named, and (very roughly) defined as follows:
Fine (F): Sheldon scale 12-19 (F12-F19). Quite worn, but the design details are clear.
Very Fine (VF): Sheldon scale 20-39 (VF20-VF39). Almost all detail is present. There is clear wear on the higher points. A problematic category as there is a big difference between the top and bottom of this grade.
Extremely Fine (EF or XF): Sheldon scale 40-49 (EF-40 to EF49). A little wear on the highest points.
About Uncirculated (AU): Sheldon scale 50-59 (AU-50 to AU-59). Slight wear on the highest points, Mint lustre needs to be present.
Brilliant Uncirculated (BU): Sheldon scale 60-62 (MS-60 to MS-62). An unused coin with mint lustre fully intact, but possessing several defects.
Choice Uncirculated (CU): Sheldon scale 63-64 (MS-64 to MS-64). Less defects than BU.
Gem: Sheldon scale 65+ (MS-65+). Increasingly fewer and harder to detect defects.
Explicit use of the Sheldon scale is preferable, but the textual abbreviations (EF, AU, BU...) are useful with lower value coins as they are not worth the meticulous work required and cost to grade.
Note that coins of equal grade may appear quite different due to toning, corrosion and marks.
IMPORTANT SHIPPING INFORMATION
Canadian orders are sent via Canada Post Letter Mail, unless the listing states otherwise. If you need a faster shipping method (Expedited, Xpresspost), you have the option at checkout to upgrade. Please contact me for a quote if you'd like Priority, anytime before or immediately after you checkout.
American orders default to Tracked Packet USA, and are paid for on top of the order total. Contact me for a quote if you need faster shipping.
International orders default to Tracked Packet International, or Xpresspost International (expensive) where Tracked Packet is not available. I require orders outside of Canada to have a tracking number.
CANADIAN RESIDENTS AND TAXES. PLEASE READ:
You are eligible for a partial refund if you order from any province/territory other than NB, NL, NS or PE. See FAQs “Do you charge tax?” and “Why do some Canadian residents get a partial taxation refund?” below.
Non-Canadians: You are charged a lower price as you do not pay Canadian tax. This does not affect you.
