Quarter (Canadian coin)

Template:For Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use Canadian English Template:Infobox Coin The quarter, short for quarter dollar, is a Canadian coin worth 25 cents or one-fourth of a Canadian dollar. It is a small, circular coin of silver colour. According to the Royal Canadian Mint, the official name for the coin is the 25-cent piece, but in practice, it is usually called a "quarter", much like its American counterpart. In Canadian French, it is called a caribou. The coin is produced at the mint's facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

History

Early coinage (1870–1910)

The first coinage minted for what would later become the Canadian Confederation originated in legislation enacted in 1853. Per the Act 16 Vict. c. 158, the Province of Canada was to issue "dollars, cents, and mills" that would co-circulate with English shillings and pence.<ref name="COC">Template:Cite book</ref> While bronze and silver coins were initially struck at the Royal Mint in 1858, these only included currency up to twenty-cents.<ref name="COC"/> When the first coinage for the Dominion of Canada was struck in 1870, only silver coins were issued, which included a twenty-five cent piece in substitution for the twenty-cent coin.<ref name="COC"/> This denomination change brought the new monetary system, which was based on the United States gold dollar concurrently with the British sovereign, into conformity with the United States quarter.<ref name="COC"/> In a related event, the Canadian government also issued twenty-five cent notes to provide the country with fractional currency. By doing so, this relieved the "strain consequent" upon the removal from circulation of United States silver.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Canadian quarters initially weighed 89.66 grains and were roughly 24 mm in diameter with a plain edge.<ref name="COC"/><ref name="AJON">Template:Cite book</ref> The obverse featured a portrait of Queen Victoria (designed by Leonard C. Wyon) wearing a tiara, while the reverse had the denomination and date under a crown within a wreath.<ref name="NGC1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Public opinion of this new coin was positive as the American Journal of Numismatics and Bulletin of American Numismatic and Archæological Societies noted that the quarter was considered "more convenient than the old twenty cent piece".<ref name="AJON"/> In 1871, two varieties of quarters co-circulated: those without a mintmark were made by the Royal Mint, while "H" marked coins were made in Birmingham, England, by Ralph Heaton & Sons.<ref name="AJON"/> Heaton & Sons continued to mint only "H" marked quarters for 1872.<ref name="CBA1918">Template:Cite book</ref> No quarters were struck by the Royal Mint or Heaton for Canada in 1873 as there was an increased demand for "Imperial coinage".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Heaton continued to mint quarters for Canada afterward from 1874 to 1883.<ref name="CBA1918"/> There was a four-year hiatus during this period as the coins were transitioned from a plan to a milled edge.

Enlargements to the facilities at the Royal Mint were completed in 1883, which meant they could handle Canadian coin production.<ref name="CANJ1889">Template:Cite book</ref> Quarters that date from 1884 to 1889 were all struck at the Royal Mint in London before Heaton was called for again.<ref name="CBA1918"/><ref name="CANJ1889"/> The Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Montreal commented in their entry for 1890 that this choice indicated that there was a rush of business at the Royal Mint that year.<ref name="CANJ1889"/> Coinage returned to the Royal Mint in 1891 and Canadian quarters were struck there through the remainder of Queen Victoria's reign.<ref name="CBA1918"/> When Edward VII ascended to the throne in 1901, a new obverse portrait for the quarter was used. British medalist George William de Saulles designed a right-facing bust of the king surrounded by the words "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}". Canadian quarters continued to be struck in England until 1907 with the opening of the Ottawa Mint.<ref name="CBA1918"/> When Edward VII died in 1910, a controversy arose in the following year with a new portrait design for George V.

Georgian coinage (1911–1952)

King George V's portrait was designed by Australian sculptor and medalist Bertram Mackennal with the words "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}"; however, this was criticized by the public as the decision to omit "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" (by the grace of God) was called "godless" and "graceless".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> As a result, the words {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} were added into the design the following year. On May 11, 1920, a new coinage act was put into place that affected the amount of silver in the quarter. While the previous "British standard" fineness of .925 silver (sterling) was reduced to .800, the weight and diameter of the quarter remained the same.<ref name="USMR1967">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> This act was put into place as the price of silver had risen due to the aftermath of World War I.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Warman">Template:Cite book</ref> No quarters were minted between 1921 and 1927 as the rising price of silver made them unprofitable. When quarter production resumed in 1927, the Royal Canadian Mint initially planned to strike commemorative coins to celebrate Canada's 60th anniversary. Although a winning design was chosen for the quarter, it was never used as the plan was scrapped.<ref name="Striking Impressions 1983">Striking Impressions, James A. Haxby, 1983, Template:ISBN</ref>

No more proposed changes to the quarter were made during the remaining years of King George V's reign. When he died in January 1936, his son Edward VIII assumed the throne but soon abdicated in December 1936. After his brother George VI assumed the throne on December 11, 1936, a new effigy was needed for Canadian coinage. As it was late in the year, the Royal Mint could not immediately make coins with a die depicting the new king with a 1937 date. It was instead decided by the mint to continue minting 1936 dated quarters with a dot added below the date on the reverse which signified that they were made in 1937.<ref name="Warman"/> The new effigy of George VI was designed by Humphrey Paget and was ready for use later in the year. The king is shown on the obverse side facing left, with the inscription "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> During this time, new reverse designs were also planned for circulating denominations below fifty cents. Initial proposals included a caribou design for the five-cent coin, a beaver design for the ten-cent coin, and the Bluenose for the twenty-five-cent coin.<ref name="Striking Impressions 1983" /> After some debate, the head of a caribou was designed by Canadian sculptor Emanuel Hahn for the quarter.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

India's declaration of independence in 1947 affected the quarter, as the words Template:AbbrTemplate:Abbr (Emperor of India) had to be removed from the obverse of the coin. This change was made under article 7.2 of the Parliament of the United Kingdom's Indian Independence Act 1947.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As the dies omitting the title were not immediately ready for use, a small maple leaf was added next to the 1947 dated coins on the reverse for quarters minted into 1948.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> King George VI died in 1952 and a new obverse effigy featuring Queen Elizabeth II appeared in the following year.

Elizabeth II (1953–1989)

The first effigy of Queen Elizabeth II was designed by sculptor and medalist Mary Gillick, who chose to depict the queen at 27 years old facing right. As with the previous monarchs, her effigy is surrounded with Latin text which reads "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" (Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen).<ref name="Effigies">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> For Canadian coinage, this marked the first time that master dies were made at the Royal Canadian Mint.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> During production, the diameter of the quarter was increased from 23.6 to 23.9 mm.<ref name="USMR1967"/>Template:Efn For reasons unknown, these were also struck in two major varieties, "with a shoulder fold" and "without a shoulder fold" (or strap) on the new effigy.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> While quarters dated 1954 have a low mintage, an increased demand for small change (felt most with dimes and quarters) boosted production by 50% in the following year.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 1964, Queen Elizabeth approved a second effigy of herself on Canadian coinage which was made by British artist and sculptor Arnold Machin.<ref name="Machin">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This second bust features the Queen facing right while wearing a tiara surrounded by Latin text where "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" is abbreviated again to read "D.G."<ref name="Effigies"/>

When silver prices rose sharply in the mid-1960s, the Canadian government initially set 1966 as a proposed transition year for an alternative alloy for coinage. This proposed year in actuality is when a government committee was formed on the matter and nickel was chosen to replace silver.<ref name="Haxby">Template:Cite book</ref> Two major events regarding the Canadian quarter occurred in 1967. During this year Canada celebrated its centennial with special circulating commemoratives. According to James A. Haxby of the Royal Canadian Mint, a prowling bobcat was chosen for the centennial quarter to express "intelligent independence and decisive action".<ref name="Haxby" /> At the same time, the silver content was lowered from 80% to 50% by a proclamation which was authorized on August 17, 1967.<ref name="USMR1967" /> This mid-year change meant that two varieties were produced that differ in their silver content.<ref name="1901-2000 World Coin Catalog">Template:Cite book</ref> A similar event occurred in 1968 as the quarter was transitioned from 50% silver to pure nickel.<ref name="1968q">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="QE3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The caribou design continued to be used until 1973 when the quarter got a special commemorative design which honored the centennial of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.<ref name="CQ">Template:Cite book</ref> During this time, Queen Elizabeth's obverse bust was modified to be slightly smaller.<ref name="PCGS SM">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> These changes took full effect when the caribou design was restored to the reverse in the following year. Halfway through the decade, in April 1975, Canadian quarters were produced at the newly constructed mint facility in Winnipeg.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Although nickel was by then dominant, silver quarters of both amounts (50% and 80%) continued to circulate until at least 1979.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It was estimated by the mid-1980s that it cost the mint five cents to produce a nickel-alloyed quarter.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Elizabeth II / Charles III (1990–present)

In 1990, a third effigy of the Queen was used for Canadian quarters, designed by Hungarian-Canadian sculptor Dora de Pedery-Hunt. This third design depicts Elizabeth II when she was 64 years old surrounded by the previously used Latin script.<ref name="Effigies"/> The lowest mintage of any circulated quarter post–World War II occurred in 1991 as the Royal Canadian Mint prepared resources for the following year.<ref name="Charlton2024">Template:Cite book</ref> For this event, Canada celebrated its 125th anniversary in 1992 by minting twelve circulating commemorative quarters. The caribou design returned for quarters minted from 1993 to 1996 until production ceased in the following year. Quarter production resumed in 1999 with the millennium series, which included a circulating commemorative quarter for every month until December 2000.<ref name="RCM">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Royal Canadian Mint also concurrently minted quarters with the caribou design in two different compositions. As nickel prices were steadily rising during this time, experimental steel-plated test coins were sent to vending companies.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="1999P">Template:Cite book</ref> These coins were marked with a "P" (plated) below Elizabeth's obverse bust for identification purposes.<ref name="1999P"/> When the Royal Candian Mint discovered that their experimental coins had somehow made their way into circulation, they issued 20,000 sets of "1999 P" coins for collectors.<ref name="1999P"/> The last quarters made of pure nickel were minted for 2001 before nickel-plated steel production became permanent.

Elizabeth II was honoured on the quarter in 2002 as the coins carried a dual date of "1952–2002", for her Golden Jubilee.<ref name="GJ">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Two effigies of the Queen were used in the following year which include Hunt's "old effigy", and a fourth and final effigy made by portrait artist Susanna Blunt.<ref name="QE6">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This final depiction of the Queen shows a right-facing uncrowned bust with the same previously used Latin script.<ref name="Effigies" />

Circulating commemorative quarters for various events were produced off and on again from 2005 to 2012 alongside those with the caribou design. Those dated after 2006 feature the RCM logo which replaced the "P" (plated) mark below the Queen's bust. After Elizabeth II died in 2022, an effigy of her son Charles III was designed by Canadian artist Steven Rosati.<ref name="Effigies" /> This current bust was introduced in 2023 and features the King facing left surrounded by the Latin script: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}".<ref name="Effigies" />

Composition and size

Years	Mass	Diameter	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1870–1910	5.81 g	23.62 mm	92.5% silver, 7.5% copper
1910–1919	5.83 g	23.62 mm	92.5% silver, 7.5% copper
1920–1952	5.83 g	23.62 mm	80% silver, 20% copper
1953–1967	5.83 g	23.88 mm	80% silver, 20% copper
1967–1968	5.05 g	23.88 mm	50% silver, 50% copper
1968–2001	5.05 g	23.88 mm	99.9% nickel
2001–present	4.40 g	23.88 mm	94.0% steel,Template:Efn 3.8% copper, 2.2% nickel plating

Circulation figures

Victoria & Edward VII

Year	MintageTemplate:Efn
1870	900,000<ref name="NGC1"/>
1871	400,000<ref name="NGC1" />
1871 HTemplate:Efn	748,000<ref name="NGC1" />
1872 H	2,240,000<ref name="NGC1" />
1874 H	1,600,000<ref name="NGC1" />
1875 H	1,000,000<ref name="NGC1" />
1880 H	400,000<ref name="NGC1" />
1881 H	820,000<ref name="NGC1" />
1882 H	600,000<ref name="NGC1" />
1883 H	960,000<ref name="NGC1" />
1885	192,000<ref name="NGC1" />
1886	540,000<ref name="NGC1" />
1887	100,000<ref name="NGC1" />
1888	400,000<ref name="NGC1" />
1889	66,324<ref name="NGC1" />
1890 H	200,000<ref name="NGC1" />
1891	120,000<ref name="NGC1" />
1892	510,000<ref name="NGC1" />
1893	100,000<ref name="NGC1" />
1894	220,000<ref name="NGC1" />
1899	415,580<ref name="NGC1" />
1900	1,320,000<ref name="NGC1" />
1901 Victoria	640,000<ref name="NGC1" />
1902 Edward VII	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1902 H	800,000<ref name="NGC2" />
1903	846,150<ref name="NGC2" />
1904	400,000<ref name="NGC2" />
1905	800,000<ref name="NGC2" />
1906	1,237,843<ref name="NGC2" />
1907	2,088,000<ref name="NGC2" />
1908	495,016<ref name="NGC2" />
1909	1,335,929<ref name="NGC2" />
1910	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

George V & George VI

Year	Mintage
lang}}"Template:Efn	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
lang}}"	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1913	2,213,595<ref name="NGC3" />
1914	1,215,397<ref name="NGC3" />
1915	242,382<ref name="NGC3" />
1916	1,462,566<ref name="NGC3" />
1917	3,365,644<ref name="NGC3" />
1918	4,175,649<ref name="NGC3" />
1919	5,852,262<ref name="NGC3" />
1920	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1921	597,337<ref name="NGC4" />
1927	468,096<ref name="NGC4" />
1928	2,114,178<ref name="NGC4" />
1929	2,690,562<ref name="NGC4" />
1930	968,748<ref name="NGC4" />
1931	537,815<ref name="NGC4" />
1932	537,994<ref name="NGC4" />
1933	421,282<ref name="NGC4" />
1934	384,350<ref name="NGC4" />
1935	537,772<ref name="NGC4" />
1936 George V	972,094<ref name="NGC4" />
1936 George V (dot)Template:Efn	153,322<ref name="NGC4" />
1937 George VI	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1938	3,149,245<ref name="NGC5" />
1939	3,532,495<ref name="NGC5" />
1940	9,583,650<ref name="NGC5" />
1941	6,654,672<ref name="NGC5" />
1942	6,935,871<ref name="NGC5" />
1943	13,559,575<ref name="NGC5" />
1944	7,216,237<ref name="NGC5" />
1945	5,296,495<ref name="NGC5" />
1946	2,210,810<ref name="NGC5" />
1947Template:Efn	1,524,554<ref name="NGC5" />
1947 MLTemplate:Efn	4,393,938<ref name="NGC5" />
1948	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1949	7,988,630<ref name="NGC6" />
1950	9,673,335<ref name="NGC6" />
1951	8,290,710<ref name="NGC6" />
1952	8,859,642<ref name="NGC6" />

Elizabeth II

File:Canada $0.25 1967.jpg

Canadian Centennial quarter

Year	MintageTemplate:Efn	Notes
1953 No strap	10,546,769<ref name="QE1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	These varieties are also referred to as "with shoulder fold" and "without shoulder fold".
1953 Strap
1954	2,318,891<ref name="QE1" />
1955	9,552,505<ref name="QE1" />
1956	11,269,353<ref name="QE1" />
1957	12,770,190<ref name="QE1" />
1958	9,336,910<ref name="QE1" />
1959	13,503,461<ref name="QE1" />
1960	22,835,327<ref name="QE1" />
1961	18,164,368<ref name="QE1" />
1962	29,559,266<ref name="QE1" />
1963	21,180,652<ref name="QE1" />
1964	36,479,343<ref name="QE1" />	1st obverse portrait
1965	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	2nd obverse portrait
1966	25,626,315<ref name="QE2" />
1967 80% silver	48,855,500<ref name="1901-2000 World Coin Catalog"/>	These quarters feature a Canadian Lynx on the reverse, and are dated 1867–1967 to reflect the Canadian Centennial. The mintage figure includes both 80% and 50% silver coins.
1967 50% silver
1968 50% silver	71,464,000<ref name="1968q"/>
1968 nickel	88,686,931<ref name="QE3"/>
1969	133,037,929<ref name="QE3" />
1970	10,302,010<ref name="QE3" />
1971	48,170,428<ref name="QE3" />
1972	43,743,387<ref name="QE3" />
1973 Large bust	134,958,587<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Quarters dated 1973 have "large" and "small" bust varieties of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse while the reverse depicts a mounted RCMP officer.
1973 Small bust
1974	192,360,598<ref name="QE3" />
1975	141,148,000<ref name="QE3" />
1976	86,898,261<ref name="QE3" />
1977	99,634,555<ref name="QE3" />
1978	176,475,408<ref name="QE3" />
1979	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1980	76,178,000<ref name="QE4" />
1981	131,580,272<ref name="QE4" />
1982	171,926,000<ref name="QE4" />
1983	13,162,000<ref name="QE4" />
1984	121,668,000<ref name="QE4" />
1985	158,734,000<ref name="QE4" />
1986	132,220,000<ref name="QE4" />
1987	53,408,000<ref name="QE4" />
1988	80,368,473<ref name="QE4" />
1989	119,796,307<ref name="QE4" />	2nd obverse portrait
1990	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	3rd obverse portrait
1991	459,000<ref name="QE5" />	Production was low this year as resources were prepared for the following year's commemorative coins.<ref name="Charlton2024"/>
1992	Template:N/a	To celebrate the 125th anniversary of Confederation, the Royal Canadian Mint released twelve commemorative coins. The Royal Canadian Mint struck no quarters with the caribou design.
1993	73,758,000<ref name="QE5" />
1994	77,670,000<ref name="QE5" />
1995	89,210,000<ref name="QE5" />
1996	28,106,000<ref name="QE5" />
1997	Not circulated
1998	Not circulated	Commermorative quarters dated "1998" were made to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Mint
1999 caribou	258,888,000<ref name="QE5" />	An estimated 20,000 quarters are dated 1999 (P).<ref name="QE6"/>
2000 caribou	434,087,000<ref name="QE5" />	Only 3 to 5 2000 (P) quarters are known.<ref name="QE6" />
2001 caribou	8,415,000<ref name="QE5" />	Struck in nickel
2001 P	55,773,000<ref name="QE6" />	Struck in nickel-plated steel (P)
2002 P	156,105,000<ref name="QE6" />
2002 P (GJ)	152,485,000<ref name="GJ"/>	Dated 1952–2002 to reflect Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee
2003 P Crowned	87,647,000<ref name="QE6" />	Crowned 3rd obverse portrait
2003 P Uncrowned	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Uncrowned 4th obverse portrait
2004 P	177,466,000<ref name="QE7" />
2005 P	206,346,000<ref name="QE7" />
2006 P	423,189,000<ref name="QE7" />
2007	386,763,000<ref name="QE7" />	The nickel-plated steel "P" mark (below bust on obverse) was dropped and replaced by an RCM logo.
2008	387,222,000<ref name="QE7" />
2009	266,766,000<ref name="QE7" />
2010	167,500,000<ref name="RCM"/>
2011	212,970,000<ref name="RCM" />
2012	178,450,000<ref name="RCM" />
2013	118,480,000<ref name="RCM" />
2014	97,440,000<ref name="RCM" />
2015	97,320,000<ref name="RCM" />
2016	106,880,000<ref name="RCM" />
2017	110,720,000<ref name="mint2017">Template:Cite report</ref>
2018	102,560,000<ref name="RCM" />
2019	80,160,000<ref name="RCM" />
2020	96,000,000<ref name="RCM" />
2021	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2022	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Charles III

Year	Mintage
2023	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2024	Template:TBA
2025	Template:TBA

External links

• Royal Canadian Mint Act (archived 26 January 2016)
• Coins and Canada Price Guide
• Royal Canadian Numismatic Association
• Royal Canadian Mint Remembrance Day Poppy Coin

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