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Canadian Coin Database

The most comprehensive open dataset of Royal Canadian Mint coins -- 5,791 entries from 1858 to present.

Coins Years License Updated

Overview

A structured, machine-readable dataset of every coin issued by the Royal Canadian Mint and its predecessors, spanning 168 years of Canadian coinage. Includes circulation coins, bullion programs, numismatic issues, proof sets, and pre-Confederation provincial coinage from Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the Province of Canada.

This dataset is maintained as part of the Canadian Coin Heads project.

Quick Stats

Category Count
Circulation 1,110
Collectible / Numismatic 4,174
Bullion 215
Subscription 157
Set 94
Roll 41
Total 5,791

What's Included

Each coin entry contains factual metadata sourced from the Royal Canadian Mint catalog and cross-referenced with standard numismatic references:

  • Identification: name, year, denomination, unique ID
  • Physical specs: metal, purity, weight (grams), diameter (mm), edge type, composition detail
  • Cataloging: category, series, finish
  • Attribution: monarch, obverse designer, reverse designer
  • Production: mintage figures

Data Format

coins.json / coins.csv

Available in both JSON and CSV. Each entry follows this structure:

{
  "id": "1-cent-1858",
  "name": "1 cent 1858",
  "year": 1858,
  "denomination": "1 cent",
  "category": "circulation",
  "metal": "copper",
  "purity": null,
  "weight_g": 4.54,
  "diameter_mm": 25.4,
  "mintage": 421000,
  "series": "Pre-Confederation Coinage",
  "monarch": "Victoria",
  "obverse_designer": "Leonard Charles Wyon",
  "reverse_designer": "Leonard Charles Wyon",
  "edge": "Plain (smooth)",
  "finish": "Circulation",
  "composition": "95% copper, 4% tin, 1% zinc",
  "country": "Canada"
}

series.json

70 coin series with year ranges, metal types, and production status. See Data Dictionary for full field descriptions.

Coverage

Era Period Description
Pre-Confederation 1858-1867 Province of Canada (1c, 5c, 10c, 20c)
Provincial 1861-1947 Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI
Dominion / Federal 1870-present All federal circulation denominations (1c through $2)
Commemorative 1935-present Silver dollars, quarters, special issues
Bullion 1979-present Silver/Gold/Platinum Maple Leaf programs
Modern Numismatic 1990s-present Proof, specimen, coloured, hologram issues

Coverage includes the complete Ottawa branch mint sovereigns (1908-1919), all decimal coinage denominations, and major commemorative programs.

Usage

Python

import json

with open("data/coins.json") as f:
    coins = json.load(f)

# All gold coins
gold = [c for c in coins if c["metal"] == "gold"]
print(f"{len(gold)} gold coins")

# Silver Maple Leafs
sml = [c for c in coins if c["series"] == "Silver Maple Leaf"]

# Coins by monarch
victoria = [c for c in coins if c["monarch"] == "Victoria"]

JavaScript

const coins = require('./data/coins.json');

// Circulation coins with mintage data
const circulation = coins.filter(c =>
  c.category === 'circulation' && c.mintage
);

// Coins by decade
const sixties = coins.filter(c => c.year >= 1960 && c.year < 1970);

pandas

import pandas as pd

df = pd.read_csv("data/coins.csv")
df.groupby("metal")["mintage"].describe()

Citation

If you use this dataset in research, publications, or applications, please cite:

Canadian Coin Database. (2026). Canadian Coin Heads.
Available at: https://github.com/Robby955/canadian-coin-database
Website: https://canadiancoinheads.com

Related

  • Canadian Coin Heads -- Browse the full catalog with images, melt values, and series guides
  • iOS App -- AI-powered coin identification on iPhone

License

This dataset is released under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY-4.0).

You are free to use, share, and adapt this data for any purpose, including commercial use, provided you give appropriate attribution.

Contributing

Found an error? Missing a coin? Please open an issue with:

  • The coin ID or description
  • The correction or addition
  • A reference source (RCM catalog page, Charlton Standard Catalogue entry, etc.)

All corrections are verified against primary sources before merging.