Quarter (Canadian 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 or trente sous ("thirty sous", based on the old exchange rate).^[1][2] The coin is produced at the Royal Canadian Mint's facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Quarter

Canada
Value	0.25 Canadian dollar
Mass	4.4 g
Diameter	23.88 mm
Thickness	1.58 mm
Edge	Milled
Composition	Nickel-plated steel 94% steel, 3.8% Cu, 2.2% Ni plating
Years of minting	1870–present
Catalog number	–
Obverse
Design	Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada
Designer	Susanna Blunt
Design date	2003
Reverse
Design	Caribou
Designer	Emmanuel Hahn
Design date	1937

History of composition

Years	Mass	Diameter/shape	Composition^[3]
1870–1919	5.83 g	23.62 mm	92.5% silver, 7.5% copper
1920–1967	5.83 g	23.62 mm	80% silver, 20% copper
1967–1968	5.83 g	23.88 mm	50% silver, 50% copper
1968–1999	5.05 g	23.88 mm	99.9% nickel
2000–present	4.40 g	23.88 mm	94.0% steel (AISI 1006 alloy^[4]), 3.8% copper, 2.2% nickel plating

From 1920 until 1967 the quarter contained 0.15 troy ounces of silver—one quarter as much as the silver dollar (0.60 ozt), one half as much as the 50-cent piece, and 2+1⁄2 times more than the dime.

Commemorative reverses

Ordinarily featuring a caribou,^[3] the quarter has the most commonly altered reverse in Canada and is the usual venue for commemorative issues.

In 2004, a quarter was issued in honour of Remembrance Day, featuring a corn poppy on the reverse, a traditional symbol in Canada of that day. This resulted in a bizarre international incident, in which American military contractors unfamiliar with the coin's design believed these coins were outfitted with nanotechnology designed for espionage.^[5]

Single commemorative designs

Image	Year	Theme	Artist	Mintage	Notes
	1967	Canada's Centennial	Alex Colville	48,855,500^[6]	The reverse features a Canada lynx.
	1973	100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police	Paul Cederberg	134,958,587^[6]	The reverse depicts a mounted RCMP officer. Obverse features Queen Elizabeth II.
	2002	Canadian Maple Leaf	Judith Chartier	30,627,000^[7]	The reverse depicts small human figures supporting a large maple leaf.
	2004	Acadia (Île Ste. Croix)	R.R. Carmichael, Stan Witten	15,400,000^[7]	The reverse depicts a 17th-century sailing ship, "La Bonne-Renommée"^[8] and the dates 1604–2004.
	2004	Remembrance Day	Cosme Saffioti, Stan Witten	28,500,000^[7]	The reverse features a corn poppy coloured red, the first coloured general circulation coin in the world.^[9]
	2005	Year of the Veteran	Elaine Gobel	29,390,000^[7]	The reverse features the conjoined busts of young and old veteran, facing left.
	2006	Pink Ribbon	Cosme Saffioti	29,798,000^[7]^[10]	The second colourized coin in general issue. The colouration is more scratch-resistant.
	2006	Medal of Bravery	RCM Engravers	20,040,000^[10]	The reverse features the design of a Medal of Bravery: a maple leaf within a wreath
	2008	Remembrance Day 90th anniversary	Cosme Saffioti, Stan Witten	11,300,000^[11]	Re-issue of 2004 design (but with a superior red poppy process & appearance), with "1918 Armistice" added to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the end of World War I.
	2010	65th anniversary of World War II^[12]	Cosme Saffioti	10,978,000^[11]	Features a soldier with a bowed head and hands on a rifle in front of a maple leaf. Two coloured poppies are on each side of the soldier.
	2013	100th anniversary of the Canadian Arctic Expedition	Bonnie Ross	12,500,000^[13]	Features two varieties of frosted accents.
	2013	Life in the North	Tim Pitsiulak	12,500,000^[13]	Features two varieties of frosted accents. One with frosted Bowhead whale and the other with frosted Belugas.
	2015	50th anniversary of the Canadian flag	Bonnie Ross	12,500,000^[14]	Features fifty children holding the flag of Canada. Half were issued colourized.
	2015	100th anniversary of the writing of In Flanders Field	Laurie McGaw	12,500,000^[14]	Features a poppy. Half were issued colourized.
	2017	Canada 150	Joelle Wong	20,000,000^[14]	Features a turtle, bird and beaver, all decorated with aboriginal patterns, reaching toward a plant growing out from a pair of hands to symbolize how all Canadians are connected in protecting Canada's future. The theme of the coin is "Canada's Future".
	2017	125th anniversary of the Stanley Cup	Steve Hepburn	12,500,000^[14]	Features the Stanley Cup, flanked by two hockey players; on the left is a player who would have vied for the trophy in its early days, and on the right is a hockey player from today's era.

1992: 125th anniversary of Confederation

In 1992, to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Confederation, the Mint released twelve commemorative coins, one for each Canadian province and territory at the time. These were the inspiration^[15] for the US 50 State Quarters program of 1999–2008. Nunavut, which separated from the Northwest Territories seven years later in 1999, was honoured with a special $2 coin.

Image	Date of Issue	Province/territory	Artist	Mintage^[6]	Notes
	1992-06-04 June 4, 1992	Alberta	Mel Heath	12,133,000	The Alberta badlands
	1992-11-09 December 9, 1992	British Columbia	Carla Egan	14,001,000	An orca surfacing with the Coast Mountains in the distance
	1992-04-07 April 7, 1992	Manitoba	Muriel Hope	11,349,000	A Hudson's Bay Company fort
	1992-01-09 January 9, 1992	New Brunswick	Ronald Lambert	12,174,000	The Oldfields Covered Bridge
	1992-03-05 March 5, 1992	Newfoundland and Labrador	Christoper Newhook	11,405,000	A fisherman in a dory
	1992-02-06 February 6, 1992	Northwest Territories	Beth McEachen	12,582,000	An inuksuk
	1992-09-09 September 9, 1992	Nova Scotia	Bruce Wood	13,600,000	The Peggys Point Lighthouse at Peggy's Cove
	1992-08-06 August 6, 1992	Ontario	Greg Salmela	14,263,000	A windswept tree on the Canadian Shield
	1992-07-07 July 7, 1992	Prince Edward Island	Nigel Roe	13,001,000	The province's distinctive coastline
	1992-10-01 October 1, 1992	Quebec	Romualdas Bukauskas	13,607,000	Sailboats at Percé Rock
	1992-11-05 November 5, 1992	Saskatchewan	Brian Cobb	14,165,000	Ears of wheat, grain elevators, and a train of Canadian Wheat Board hopper cars
	1992-05-07 May 7, 1992	Yukon	Libby Dulac	10,388,000	The Kaskawulsh Glacier

1999–2000: millennium quarters

In April 1998, the Mint announced the "Millennium Coin Design Contest", a contest open to all Canadians to submit designs for twenty-four millennium quarters, one for each month of 1999 and 2000. The 1999 designs were meant to look back on Canada's past, while the 2000 designs looked to the future. While the 1999 coins were labeled with their month of issue, the 2000 coins were labeled with the relevant theme.

Image	Date of issue	Theme	Artist	Mintage^[6]	Notes
	January 5, 1999	A Country Unfolds	Peter Ka-Kin Poon	12,181,200	January 1999
	February 1, 1999	Etched in Stone	Lonnie Springer	14,469,250	February 1999
		The Log Drive	Marjolaine Lavoie	15,033,500	March 1999
	March 30, 1999	Our Northern Heritage	Kenojuak Ashevak	15,446,000	April 1999
	May 3, 1999	The Voyageurs	Sergiy Minenok	15,566,100	May 1999
	June 2, 1999	From Coast to Coast	Gordon Ho	20,432,750	June 1999
	July 1, 1999	A Nation of People	Maria H. Sarkany	17,321,000	July 1999
	August 3, 1999	The Pioneer Spirit	Alzira Botelho	18,153,700	August 1999
	August 27, 1999	Canada Through a Child's Eye	Claudia Bertrand	31,539,350	September 1999
	October 4, 1999	A Tribute to First Nations	Jason Edward Read	32,136,650	October 1999
		The Airplane Opens the North	Brian R. Bacon	27,162,800	November 1999
		This Is Canada	J.L. Pierre Provencher	43,339,200	December 1999
	January 6, 2000	Pride Red colour was added to the two on maple leaf	Donald F. Warkentin	50,666,800	January 2000
	February 4, 2000	Ingenuity	John Jaciw	36,078,360	February 2000
		Achievement	Daryl Ann Dorosz	35,312,750	March 2000
	April 5, 2000	Health	Anny Wassef	35,470,900	April 2000
		Natural Legacy	Randy Trantau	36,236,900	May 2000
	June 1, 2000	Harmony	Haver Demirer	35,184,200	June 2000
	June 29, 2000	Celebration Red colour was added to the flag	Laura Paxton	35,144,100	July 2000
	August 1, 2000	Family	Wade Stephen Baker	35,107,700	August 2000
	September 6, 2000	Wisdom	Cezar Şerbănescu	35,123,950	September 2000
	October 4, 2000	Creativity	Eric (Kong Tat) Hui	35,316,770	October 2000
	November 1, 2000	Freedom	Kathy Vinish	35,188,900	November 2000
	December 4, 2000	Community	Michelle Thibodeau	35,155,400	December 2000

2005: Alberta and Saskatchewan centennials

In 2005, to celebrate the centennials of the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, two commemorative quarters were issued. The public was given the opportunity to vote on the coin design through two toll-free phone numbers.

There were four candidate designs for the Alberta quarter: Big Sky Country, Alberta's Natural Beauty, A Dynamic Century, and Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep. The winning design was Big Sky Country, by Michelle Grant, and depicted an oil derrick with cattle grazing at its base.^[16] The coin had a mintage of 20,640,000.^[17]

There were three candidate designs for the Saskatchewan quarter: The Western Meadowlark, Canada Geese over Wascana Lake, and The Round Dance Celebration. The winning design was Western Meadowlark, designed by Paulette Sapergia.^[18] The coin's mintage was 19,290,000.^[17]

Image	Date of issue	Province	Artist	Mintage^[7]	Notes
	July 19, 2005^[19]	Alberta	Michelle Grant	20,640,000
	July 13, 2005^[20]	Saskatchewan	Paulette Sapergia	19,290,000

2007–2010: Vancouver Olympics 2010

Image	Date of Issue	Sport	Artist	Mintage^[11]	Notes
	February 23, 2007	Curling	Glen Green	22,400,000
	April 3, 2007	Ice hockey	Glen Green	22,400,000
	July 11, 2007	Wheelchair curling	Glen Green	22,400,000
	September 12, 2007	Biathlon	Glen Green	22,400,000
	October 24, 2007	Alpine skiing	Glen Green	22,400,000
	February 20, 2008	Snowboarding	Glen Green	22,400,000
	April 16, 2008	Freestyle skiing	Glen Green	22,400,000
	November 18, 2008	Figure skating	Glen Green	22,400,000
	2008	Bobsleigh	Glen Green	22,400,000
	January 15, 2009	Cross-country skiing	Glen Green	22,400,000
	March 12, 2009	Speed skating	Glen Green	22,400,000
	2009	Sledge hockey	Glen Green	22,400,000
	September 29, 2009	Men's ice hockey	J.B. & RCM engravers	19,000,000
	September 29, 2009	Men's ice hockey – colourized (red)	J.B. & RCM engravers	3,000,000^[21]
	November 17, 2009	Women's ice hockey	J.B. & RCM engravers	19,000,000
	November 17, 2009	Women's ice hockey – colourized (red)	J.B. & RCM engravers	3,000,000^[21]
	January 5, 2010	Cindy Klassen	Jason Bouwman^[22]	19,000,000^[23]
	January 5, 2010	Cindy Klassen – colourized (red)	Jason Bouwman	3,000,000^[21]

2011: Legendary Nature

Image	Date of issue	Animal	Artist	Mintage^[24]	Notes
	January 2011	Wood bison	Nolin BBDO Montreal	6,250,000
	January 2011	Wood bison – colourized (green)	Nolin BBDO Montreal	6,250,000
	February 2011	Orca	Nolin BBDO Montreal	6,250,000
	February 2011	Orca – colourized (blue)	Nolin BBDO Montreal	6,250,000
	March 2011	Peregrine falcon	Nolin BBDO Montreal	6,250,000
	March 2011	Peregrine falcon – colourized (yellow)	Nolin BBDO Montreal	6,250,000

2012: War of 1812 bicentennial

Image	Date of Issue	Hero	Artist	Mintage	Notes
	October 13, 2012	Sir Isaac Brock	Bonnie Ross	6,250,000	^[25]
	October 13, 2012	Sir Isaac Brock – colourized (red maple leaf from the War of 1812 logo)	Bonnie Ross	6,250,000
	November 19, 2012	Tecumseh	Bonnie Ross	6,250,000	^[26]^[27]
	November 19, 2012	Tecumseh – colourized (red maple leaf from the War of 1812 logo)	Bonnie Ross	6,250,000
	March 18, 2013	Charles-Michel de Salaberry	Bonnie Ross	6,250,000	^[28]
	March 18, 2013	Charles-Michel de Salaberry – colourized (red maple leaf from the War of 1812 logo)	Bonnie Ross	6,250,000
	June 22, 2013	Laura Secord	Bonnie Ross	6,250,000	^[29]
	June 22, 2013	Laura Secord – colourized (red maple leaf from the War of 1812 logo)	Bonnie Ross	6,250,000

First strikes

Year	Theme	Mintage	Issue price
2004	The Poppy	9,928	$19.95
2004	Moose	1,907	$14.95
2005	Alberta centennial	8,936	$14.95
2005	Saskatchewan centennial	6,926	$14.95
2005	Year of the Veteran	7,820	$14.95
2006	Medal of Bravery	5,000	$15.95
2006	New Mint mark	5,000	$29.95
2006	Pink ribbon	20,000	$15.95

Olympic first strikes

Year	Sport	Artist	Mintage	Issue price	Release date
2007	Curling	Glen Green	10,000	$15.95	February 24
2007	Ice hockey	Glen Green	10,000	$15.95	April 4
2007	Paralympic curling	Glen Green	10,000	$15.95	July 11
2007	Biathlon	Glen Green	10,000	$15.95	September 12
2007	Alpine skiing	Glen Green	10,000	$15.95	October 24

Canada Day

Since 2000, the RCM has been issuing colourized quarters on Canada Day with designs aimed to attract young collectors. As with other collector coins issued by the RCM, the Canada Day series coins are non-circulating legal tender.

Year	Theme	Artist	Mintage^[7]	Issue price	Notes
2000	Millennium coloured coin "Canada Day"	Laura Paxton	26,106	$8.95	First Canada Day coin
2001	Canada Day coloured coin	Silke Ware	96,352	$9.95	Reverse features a maple leaf in the center, with children holding hands below.
2002	Canada Day coloured coin	Judith Chartier	49,901	$9.95	Version without colour was circulated. Reverse features human figures supporting a large red maple leaf.
2003	Canada Day coloured coin	Jade Pearen	63,511	$9.95	Reverse shows a polar bear and red coloured maple leaves.
2004	Canada Day coloured coin	Cosme Saffioti	44,752	$9.95	Reverse shows a stylized moose head.
2004	Canada Day multi-ply plated steel	Nick Wooster	29,762	$24.95	Part of Canada Day bundle
2005	Canada Day coin	Stan Witten	58,370	$9.95	Reverse features a stylized beaver with coloured maple leaf shirt.
2006	Canada Day coin (coloured featuring two children holding a Canadian flag)	Stan Witten	30,328	$9.95	Packaged with four Crayola crayons. Reverse features two children waving the Canadian flag.
2007	Canada Day coin (coloured featuring RCMP)	José Osio	27,743	$9.95	Packaged with tattoos
2008	Canada Day coin (coloured featuring a cool moose in shades with his cap on backwards)	Stan Witten	11,538	$9.95	Packaged with tattoos
2009	Canada Day coin (coloured featuring caricatures of the circulation-coin animals polar bear, beaver, loon and caribou, all in a schooner)	RCM Engravers	11,091	$14.95	Packaged with a postcard and a magnetic frame with character magnets

Other notable dates

 

 

A 1917 quarter featuring King George V

• The 1906 Small Crown is valued in the thousands of dollars even for very poor conditions.
• 1936 marked two valuable variations, the Bar and the Dot, both trend for over $1,000 in uncirculated condition.
• The 1951 Low Relief was predominantly only made available in proof-like sets and have a mintage of around 500.
• The 1973 Large Bust is among the most desired Canadian Quarter. They sell for around $300 in Proof Like or Specimen condition and can sell in the thousands for high-end circulation strikes.
• The 1991 quarter had a low mintage, of 459,000
• The 1992 New Brunswick quarter has several rotated die versions, with the 180-degree rotation selling for between $100 and $200 in uncirculated condition.
• 1999 featured mule versions of the September and November quarters. These coins do not have the 25 CENTS mark on them, making them legal tender without face value. Either usually sells for over $10 depending on the condition of the coin. The Royal Canadian Mint estimates a combined mintage of 10,000 to 50,000 of the September and November mules.
• The 2000 Millennium Map mule. Highly sought after by collectors, this is a modern rarity with about 100 known examples, as referenced in population reports of coin certification services (ICCS, CCCS, PCGS, NGC).
• 2000P Caribou: two examples are known to exist. They fetch $40,000 or more (ICCS has graded both in MS-64: ICCS 2010 Population report). Both are in private collections.
• 2000P Creativity: two are known to exist. They fetch $15,000 to $20,000 (ICCS has graded one in MS-62 and the other in MS-66: ICCS 2010 Population report).
• 2000P Community: five are known to exist. They fetch $12,000 to $15,000 (ICCS has graded one in MS-60, two in MS-62, and two in MS-63: ICCS 2010 Population report).

The Tooth Fairy and Friends

Starting in 2011, the mint began selling special sets for newborn babies, birthdays, wedding anniversaries, "Oh Canada" and the Tooth Fairy. The tooth fairy quarters also come packaged separately.^[30]

Facts

^{[citation needed]}

• The first commemorative coins were planned for 1927 to celebrate Canada's 60th anniversary. A contest was held and the winner for the twenty-five-cent coin was J.A.H. MacDonald; however, the Mint decided to not turn the design into coinage.^[31]
• When coinage was changed in 1937, the caribou (currently on the quarter) was originally planned for the five-cent coin, the beaver (nickel) was planned for the ten-cent coin, and the Bluenose (dime) was planned for the twenty-five-cent coin.^[31]
• The lowest mintage of any circulated quarter post-World War II was in 1991; low mintage was attributed to a work stoppage and using up stock in preparation for the release of the commemorative quarters the following year. The total mintage was a mere 459,000 including collector sets and proofs.^[32]
• Canadian quarters were not issued into circulation in 1997 and 1998. In 1997, only 525,257 quarters were produced. In 1998, only 395,617 quarters were produced; even fewer than in 1991. All of them were issued in collector sets or proofs and none were issued into circulation.
• The caribou on the 25-cent piece dates back to 1936 when a change in the sovereign's image on circulation currency prompted the Canadian government to modify the designs on the reverse side of coins as well. The caribou design was created by Canadian artist Emanuel Hahn, initially used in 1937. It has been temporarily replaced in some years; in 1967 for the Canadian centennial (with a Canada lynx), in 1973 to celebrate the centennial of the North-West Mounted Police, in 1992 for Canada's 125th anniversary, and in 1999 and 2000 by the winning designs of the Millennium coin program.

References

1. Corbeij, André (July 17, 2018). ""Quatre trente sous pour une piastre!"" (in French).
2. "TRENTE-SOUS : Définition de TRENTE-SOUS". www.cnrtl.fr (in French).
3. "A familiar face – the 25-cent coin". Royal Canadian Mint. from the original on April 4, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
4. "Control of electromagnetic signals of coins through multi-ply plating technology". Google Patents. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
5. Poppy quarter led to spy coin warnings April 27, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, CBC.ca
6. Michael, Thomas (ed.). 2017 Standard Catalog of World Coins 1901-2000 (44th ed.). Krause Publications. pp. 315–320. ISBN 978-1440246548.
7. Michael, Thomas (ed.). 2017 Standard Catalog of World Coins 2001-Date (11th ed.). Krause Publications. pp. 237–240. ISBN 978-1440246555.
8. Charlton Standard of Canadian Coins, p.135
9. Royal Canadian Mint Currency Timeline, pp. 10–11. October 17, 2013, at the Wayback Machine To produce the coloured coin, the Mint developed a special high-speed colouring process that allowed it to produce 30 million coins, and which ensures the colour sticks to the metal and resists daily wear.
10. Royal Canadian Mint (2006). 2006 Annual Report – External Forces, Internal Strength (PDF) (Report). p. 46. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
11. Royal Canadian Mint (2010). 2010 Annual Report – We Are Here (PDF) (Report). p. 85. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
12. . Archived from the original on September 5, 2012.
13. "Mint.ca – News Releases". from the original on December 25, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
14. Royal Canadian Mint (2017). 2017 Annual Report – Delivering Results (PDF) (Report). p. 86. (PDF) from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
15. "Canada and U.S. 50 States". from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
16. . Archived from the original on April 4, 2007. Retrieved May 7, 2007.
17. Royal Canadian Mint Royal Canadian Mint (2005). "2005 Annual Report – Thriving" (PDF). p. 38. (PDF) from the original on February 16, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
18. . Government of Saskatchewan. Archived from the original on October 20, 2008.
19. Canada, Employment and Social Development (July 19, 2005). "Royal Canadian Mint to unveil 2005 Alberta Centennial 25-cent coin – Canada.ca". www.canada.ca. from the original on April 1, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
20. "ROYAL CANADIAN MINT INTRODUCES 25-CENT COINS CELEBRATING SASKATCHEWAN'S CENTENNIAL | News and Media | Government of Saskatchewan". Government of Saskatchewan. from the original on April 1, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
21. Royal Canadian Mint (2009). 2009 Annual Report – World-Class Performance (PDF) (Report). p. 32. Retrieved November 26, 2022. Three million of each Moment coin was produced in brilliant colour and inserted randomly into circulation coin rolls.
22. Royal Canadian Mint. "Canadian 25-Cent Circulation Coin Celebrates Klassen's Five Medals | CoinNews". Retrieved September 24, 2022.
23. "Coins and Canada – Canadian Coins, Price Guide, Errors et Varieties and Bank Notes". from the original on April 12, 2010. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
24. . Archived from the original on October 17, 2013.
25. "War of 1812 Hero Major-General Sir Isaac Brock Commemorated on Royal Canadian Mint 25-Cent Circulation Coin". Royal Canadian Mint. from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
26. "War of 1812 Hero Tecumseh Commemorated on Royal Canadian Mint 25-Cent Circulation Coin". Royal Canadian Mint.^{[dead link]}
27. "War of 1812 hero Tecumseh commemorated on Royal Canadian Mint 25-cent circulation coin". Cision. November 16, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
28. . Archived from the original on April 24, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
29. "War Of 1812 Hero Laura Secord Commemorated on Royal Canadian Mint 25-Cent Circulation Coin". from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
30. "2012 CANADA Tooth Fairy Gift Sett Special quarter reverse Mint sealed | eBay". from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
31. Striking Impressions, James A. Haxby, 1983, ISBN 0-660-91234-1
32. Charlton Standard of Canadian Coins, p.128

External links

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•  Money portal
•  Numismatics portal

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