Tuesday, May 31, 2016

1983 Canadian Cent, Far Beads

There are two varieties of 1983 Canadian cents, the far beads and near beads. Both are relatively common but the near beads seemed to have been minted less and holds a slightly better value.

1983 Canadian Cent, Far Beads Reverse
1983 Canadian Cent, Far Beads Obverse

By 1982 the Royal Canadian Mint made design changes to the one cent coin changing them from round to twelve-sided as well as changing the denticles around the rim to beads. A minor adjustment to the beads in 1983 lead to varieties for that year.

Far Beads: The more common variety has what appears to be a larger gap between the rim and the beads, enough to fit three or more beads inline between that empty space.

Near Beads: Less common has a smaller gap between the rim and the bead, enough to fit 2 or less beads in that same space.

Again due to the imprecision of mass coin production often it is not possible to tell which variety that any 1983 Canadian cent may actually be. Some rims are thicker, some beads are bigger, and just plain dirt at the rim will make identification more difficult. 60-80% of these cents appear to be Far Beads.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / Canada
Year: 1983 Far Beads
Mintage: 975,510,000 (includes both varieties)
Metal: 98% Copper, 0.5% Tin, 1.5% Zinc
Value: $0.03 in Very-Good

Do you have a cent from Canada and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you