1895 Canadian Large Cent (Penny) Value Guide

The 1895 Canadian Large Cent belongs to the Victorian Large Cent series (1858–1901), struck at the Royal Mint in London (Tower Hill) for the Dominion of Canada. With a mintage of 1,200,000 — lower than the 2,000,000 struck in 1896 and substantially below the 4,000,000-coin outputs of the 1880s — the 1895 cent occupies recognised “better date” status within the 1890s sequence. The obverse features Queen Victoria’s Diademed Head (Obverse 4), designed by Leonard C. Wyon — a portrait deliberately retained on the bronze cent series right through to 1901 even as Canadian silver denominations had already adopted a newer effigy. No mintmark appears on this coin; the absence of a mark is the standard and expected state for an 1895 cent, which was strictly a London product. For a full overview of Canadian one-cent values across all years and series, see our Canadian Penny Value Guide.

Note: Production anomalies such as broadstrikes and brockages exist for Victorian Large Cents but are outside the scope of this standard value guide, which covers typical business strike examples and documented die varieties only.

1895 Canadian Large Cent Composition & Melt Value

Alloy Breakdown

The 1895 Canadian Large Cent is struck from a ternary bronze alloy standardised for British Imperial coinage in 1860 and adopted for Canadian cents from 1876:

• Copper (Cu): 95% — provides the characteristic warm reddish-orange colour in uncirculated examples and the familiar brown patina in circulated pieces.
• Tin (Sn): 4% — increases hardness and wear resistance, critical on a large 25.4 mm surface subjected to over a century of handling.
• Zinc (Zn): 1% — acts as a deoxidiser during casting, ensuring clean metal flow into die recesses and contributing to the sharp portrait detail seen on high-grade survivors.

At 5.67 grams — derived from the British standard of 80 coins to the pound avoirdupois — this coin is substantially heavier than the modern (now discontinued) Canadian cent. Its exact one-inch diameter (25.4 mm) provided a generous canvas for Wyon’s Diademed Head portrait and the elaborate maple leaf vine reverse. Thickness is approximately 1.5 mm.

Magnetic Properties

The 1895 Large Cent is non-magnetic. Its bronze composition contains no iron, so a strong magnet will not attract it. If a coin purporting to be an 1895 cent sticks to a magnet, it is either a modern steel novelty item or a counterfeit — not a genuine Victorian bronze cent. A simple weight check provides a secondary confirmation: a genuine example should weigh 5.67 grams (±0.1 g for wear) on a digital scale.

Melt Value

As of February 2026, the 5.39 grams of copper content (95% of 5.67 g) is worth approximately $0.06–$0.07 CAD at prevailing commodity prices. Even in the lowest collectible grade (G-4), the coin commands approximately $5–$8 CAD — a numismatic premium of nearly 10,000% over scrap value.

1895 Canadian Large Cent Value Chart by Grade

The following table presents typical retail market values for genuine, unaltered, uncleaned 1895 Canadian Large Cents in business strike (circulation) grade. Values are in CAD as of February 2026, sourced from Charlton Standard Catalogue trends, Calgary Coin price lists, the NGC World Coin Price Guide for Canada Cent KM 7 (1876–1901), and recent auction results from Heritage Auctions and Geoffrey Bell Auctions. No mintage column is shown in the grade table because the figure (1,200,000 for the year) does not vary by grade; it is discussed in the introduction.

Grade progression for the 1895 Canadian Large Cent: heavily worn circulated (G-4), lightly circulated (EF-40), and full Gem Red uncirculated (MS-65 RD). Note the dramatic difference in portrait detail, surface preservation, and colour. (Illustration — not a photo of your exact coin)

1895 Canadian Large Cent — Business Strike (Circulation)

Prices assume visually appealing, problem-free examples. Cleaned, corroded, or carbon-spotted coins trade well below these ranges. For MS-63 and above, colour designation (Red / Red-Brown / Brown) is the primary value driver — see note below.

Colour designation spectrum for uncirculated 1895 Large Cents: Red (RD) — full original copper bloom; Red-Brown (RB) — partial toning; Brown (BN) — fully toned surfaces. Above MS-63, colour designation can multiply value several times over at the same numerical grade. (Illustration — not a photo of your exact coin)

Trophy-Level Condition Rarities (MS-64 RD through MS-66 RD)

The following represent the highest tier of the market for this date, where values diverge sharply from the standard grade table owing to population rarity. Data sourced from PCGS auction price records for the 1895 1¢ Red, Geoffrey Bell Auctions — Toronto Coin Expo Fall Sale 2024, and Heritage Auctions archives (2023–2024).

All values in CAD as of February 2026. For the complete denomination price guide across all years, see our Canadian Penny Value Guide.

Most Valuable 1895 Canadian Large Cent Varieties

The 1895 Canadian Large Cent does not have a mass-market variety equivalent to the 1936 Dot or the 1891 Large Date / Small Date, but it offers a catalogue of die varieties — subtle differences arising from the hand-punching of working dies at the Royal Mint — that advanced collectors actively pursue. These are typically found in dealer stock or discovered through careful examination with a loupe.

A. Trophy-Level Condition Rarities

The highest-value 1895 cents are defined almost exclusively by preservation: grade plus colour designation. These are covered in the trophy-level table in the Value Chart section above — MS-64 RD through MS-66 RD command premiums far above the standard grade scale and represent the true upper end of the market for this date.

B. Die Varieties (Findable)

Close-up of the 1895 Large Cent date area illustrating the Snow-5 Repunched Date (RPD): a faint secondary “5” appears offset from the primary digit, produced when the mint worker re-struck the die to correct a misaligned first punch. Attribution by NGC or a specialist dealer adds +20% to +50% over a plain 1895 cent of the same grade. (Illustration — not a photo of your exact coin)

Spotlight: The Snow-5 Repunched Date

The Snow attribution system — originally developed for US Indian Head Cents and applied to Canadian Large Cents due to near-identical Royal Mint manufacturing processes — identifies this as a verified Repunched Date (RPD) recognised by NGC and specialist Canadian variety collectors. The variety is also documented in Canadian specialist references such as those by Haxby.

How to find it: Obtain a 5× to 10× loupe and examine the “5” in the date 1895 under strong raking light. On the Snow-5, you will see a “ghost” or shadow of a secondary numeral overlapping the primary one, offset slightly north or south. Once formally attributed — ideally by NGC or a specialist Canadian variety dealer — this variety commands +20% to +50% over a plain-attributed 1895 cent at the same grade, because variety collectors pay a premium for documented attributions over generic examples.

The Snow-5 is documented in the Saskatoon Coin Club Canadian 1 Cent Major Varieties reference and on CoinVarieties.com — Canada 1895 Cent.

1895 Canadian Large Cent Identification Guide

Use this forensic checklist to confirm you have a genuine 1895 Canadian Large Cent and to determine its finish and variety status before pursuing professional grading or sale.

Obverse and reverse of the 1895 Canadian Large Cent. Obverse (left): Queen Victoria Diademed Head (Obverse 4) by Leonard C. Wyon, with legend VICTORIA DEI GRATIA REGINA CANADA. Reverse (right): maple leaf vine with 16 leaves surrounding ONE CENT and the date 1895. No mintmark is present — the 1895 issue was struck exclusively at the Royal Mint, London.

30-Second Forensic Checklist

1. Monarch & Portrait Check (Obverse)
   You must see Queen Victoria depicted in the Diademed Head style (Obverse 4): a middle-aged queen wearing a jewelled tiara/diadem, with hair gathered in a bun. The surrounding legend reads VICTORIA DEI GRATIA REGINA CANADA.
   Red Flag: If the portrait shows an elderly queen wearing a veil draped over the shoulder — the Veiled Head (Old Head) effigy used on Canadian silver coinage of this era — you do not have a genuine 1895 Large Cent. Canadian bronze cents did not adopt the Veiled Head. This is a critical authentication point that distinguishes genuine examples from confusions with British pennies or other denominations.

2. Reverse Design Check
   The reverse must show a continuous maple leaf vine with 16 leaves encircling the denomination ONE CENT and the date 1895. The leaves are the Small Leaves variant standard for the 1891–1901 period of the series.

3. Date Verification
   Confirm the four digits read 1-8-9-5. The “5” should have a slightly curled tail consistent with Victorian typographic standards. While the 1895 date is not a primary alteration target, modifications do exist. If searching for the Snow-5 RPD variety, additionally examine the “5” under 5–10× magnification for a secondary offset impression.

4. Mintmark Check
   There is no mintmark on the 1895 Canadian Large Cent. The coin was struck exclusively at the Royal Mint, London (Tower Hill). If you encounter a coin with an “H” mintmark — used on other Victorian Large Cent years struck at the Heaton Mint in Birmingham — you do not have an 1895 coin. For 1895, the absence of any mintmark is the authentic state.

5. Magnet Test (Composition Verification)
   Hold a strong magnet to the coin. The 1895 cent must NOT stick — its bronze composition (95% Cu, 4% Sn, 1% Zn) contains no iron. A coin that sticks to a magnet is either a modern steel novelty or a counterfeit.
   Weight Check (Secondary): Weigh the coin on a digital scale. Genuine examples should register 5.67 grams (±0.1 g for wear). A reading near 2.3 g indicates a modern cent; a reading above 6.0 g suggests a British halfpenny or a thick-planchet anomaly (rare).

6. Finish Identification
   Virtually all 1895 cents encountered in the market are Business Strikes:
   • Business Strike: Look for a “cartwheel” lustre — a rotating spoke of reflected light — on high-grade coins. Fields are smooth but may show minor flow lines and contact marks from handling.
   • Specimen (SP): Theoretical Specimen strikings are possible as Royal Mint presentation pieces, but PCGS population reports show negligible populations for 1895 in Specimen finish — any suspected example is an extreme rarity requiring mandatory professional authentication by ICCS or PCGS before any valuation.

7. Variety Check
   Examine the date and obverse under 5–10× magnification:
   • Snow-5 RPD: Is there a secondary “5” offset from the primary digit? → Consider professional attribution.
   • Repunched 9: Is there doubling inside the loop of the “9”?
   • Die Clash: Inspect Queen Victoria’s neck and jaw for a faint ghost outline of the maple leaf wreath.

Key identification features of the 1895 Large Cent obverse: the Diademed Head portrait by Leonard C. Wyon shows Queen Victoria wearing a jewelled tiara — not a veil. This distinction is critical: the Veiled Head effigy was used on Canadian silver denominations of 1895 but NOT on the bronze cent, making a veil-wearing portrait a red flag for misidentification.

Magnet test: a strong neodymium magnet does not attract the 1895 Canadian Large Cent. The bronze composition (95% copper, 4% tin, 1% zinc) contains no iron. Any coin that sticks to a magnet is not a genuine Victorian bronze Large Cent.

1895 Canadian Large Cent Value FAQs

Methodology & Sources

Values presented in this guide represent typical retail market prices as of February 2026, synthesised from the following primary sources:

• Charlton Standard Catalogue of Canadian Coins (2024/2025 trend data and variety listings)
• Calgary Coin — Canadian Cent Price Lists (accessed February 2026)
• NGC World Coin Price Guide — Canada Cent KM 7 (1876–1901) (accessed February 2026)
• PCGS Population Report — Canada (1858–1967) (accessed February 2026)
• PCGS Auction Prices — 1895 1¢ Red (MS-66 RD Heritage 2024 record)
• Geoffrey Bell Auctions — Toronto Coin Expo Fall Sale 2024
• Heritage Auctions archives (2023–2024, Canadian copper results)
• Stack’s Bowers auction records (2024, high-grade copper)
• Numista — 1 Cent Victoria Canada (specifications and mintage data)
• Saskatoon Coin Club — Canadian 1 Cent Major Varieties
• CoinVarieties.com — Canada 1895 Cent
• Royal Canadian Mint — 1 Cent History

Disclaimer: Market values fluctuate with copper spot prices, collector demand, and auction results. Values listed represent typical retail ranges — actual auction realisations may vary. This guide covers standard business strikes and documented die varieties only; major mint errors (broadstrikes, brockages, wrong-planchet strikes) are outside its scope. Certification status (raw vs. slabbed by ICCS, PCGS, or NGC) may also affect realised prices. ICCS is the primary certification body for Canadian domestic transactions; PCGS and NGC are the dominant services for international auction liquidity.