Country: | Canada |
Denomination: | Quarter |
Value: | 0.25 |
Mass: | 4.4 |
Diameter: | 23.88 |
Thickness: | 1.58 |
Composition: | Nickel-plated steel 94% steel, 3.8% Cu, 2.2% Ni plating |
Years Of Minting: | 1870–present |
Catalog Number: | – |
Obverse: | Quarter_Obverse_2010.png |
Obverse Design Date: | 2003 |
Obverse Discontinued: | 2023 |
Obverse2 Design: | Charles III, King of Canada |
Obverse2 Designer: | Steven Rosati |
Obverse2 Design Date: | 2023 |
Reverse: | Quarter_Reverse_2010.png |
Reverse Design Date: | 1937 |
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 mint's facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Years | Mass | Diameter | Composition[5] | |
---|---|---|---|---|
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 | |
1968–2001 | 5.05 g | 23.88 mm | 99.9% nickel | |
2001–present | 4.40 g | 23.88 mm | 94.0% steel (AISI 1006 alloy[6]), 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 times more than the dime.
Year | Mintage | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
1953 No strap | 10,546,769[7] | This variety is also called with/without shoulder fold. | |
1953 Strap | |||
1954 | 2,318,891 | ||
1955 | 9,552,505 | ||
1956 | 11,269,353 | ||
1957 | 12,770,190 | ||
1958 | 9,336,910 | ||
1959 | 13,503,461 | ||
1960 | 22,835,327 | ||
1961 | 18,164,368 | ||
1962 | 29,559,266 | ||
1963 | 21,180,652 | ||
1964 | 36,479,343 | 1st obverse portrait | |
1965 | 44,708,869[8] | 2nd obverse portrait | |
1966 | 25,626,315 | ||
1967 80% silver | 48,855,500[9] | These quarters feature a Canadian Lynx on the reverse, and are dated 1867-1967. | |
1967 50% silver | |||
1968 50% silver | 71,464,000[10] | ||
1968 nickel | 88,686,931[11] | ||
1969 | 133,037,929 | ||
1970 | 10,302,010 | ||
1971 | 48,170,428 | ||
1972 | 43,743,387 | ||
1973 Large bust | 134,958,587[12] | The reverse depicts a mounted RCMP officer. | |
1973 Small bust | |||
1974 | 192,360,598 | ||
1975 | 141,148,000 | ||
1976 | 86,898,261 | ||
1977 | 99,634,555 | ||
1978 | 176,475,408 | ||
1979 | 131,042,905[13] | ||
1980 | 76,178,000 | ||
1981 | 131,580,272 | ||
1982 | 171,926,000 | ||
1983 | 13,162,000 | ||
1984 | 121,668,000 | ||
1985 | 158,734,000 | ||
1986 | 132,220,000 | ||
1987 | 53,408,000 | ||
1988 | 80,368,473 | ||
1989 | 119,796,307 | 2nd obverse portrait | |
1990 | 31,258,000[14] | 3rd obverse portrait | |
1991 | 459,000 | ||
1992 | To celebrate the 125th anniversary of Confederation, the Royal Canadian Mint released twelve commemorative coins. | ||
1993 | 73,758,000 | ||
1994 | 77,670,000 | ||
1995 | 89,210,000 | ||
1996 | 28,106,000 | ||
1997 | Not circulated | ||
1998 | Not circulated | ||
1999 Caribou | 258,888,000 | An estimated 20,000 quarters are dated 1999 (P).[15] | |
2000 Caribou | 434,087,000 | Only 3 to 5 2000 (P) quarters are known. | |
2001 Caribou | 8,415,000 | Struck in nickel. | |
2001 P | 55,773,000 | Struck in nickel plated steel (P). | |
2002 P | 156,105,000 | ||
2002 P (GJ) | 152,485,000[16] | (1952 - 2002) Elizabeth II Golden Jubliee | |
2003 P Crowned | 87,647,000 | Crowned 3rd obverse portrait | |
2003 P Uncrowned | 66,861,633[17] | Uncrowned 4th obverse portrait | |
2004 P | 177,466,000 | ||
2005 P | 206,346,000 | ||
2006 P | 423,189,000 | ||
2007 | 386,763,000 | ||
2008 | 387,222,000 | ||
2009 | 266,766,000 | ||
2010 | 167,500,000[18] | ||
2011 | 212,970,000 | ||
2012 | 178,450,000 | ||
2013 | 118,480,000 | ||
2014 | 97,440,000 | ||
2015 | 97,320,000 | ||
2016 | 106,880,000 | ||
2017 Caribou | 110,720,000[19] | ||
2018 | 102,560,000 | ||
2019 | 80,160,000 | ||
2020 | 96,000,000 | ||
2021 | 110,560,000 | ||
2022 | 91,680,000 |
Ordinarily featuring a caribou, 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 an international incident in which American military contractors unfamiliar with the coin's design believed these coins were outfitted with nanotechnology designed for espionage.[20]
Year | Theme | Artist | Mintage | Notes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1967 | Canada's Centennial | Alex Colville | 48,855,500[21] | The reverse features a Canada lynx. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1973 | 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police | Paul Cederberg | 134,958,587 | The reverse depicts a mounted RCMP officer. Obverse features Queen Elizabeth II. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2002 | Canadian Maple Leaf | Judith Chartier | 30,627,000[22] | The reverse depicts small human figures supporting a large maple leaf. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2004 | Acadia (Île Ste. Croix) | R.R. Carmichael, Stan Witten | 15,400,000 | The reverse depicts a 17th-century sailing ship, La Bonne-Renommée,[23] and the dates 1604–2004. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2004 | Remembrance Day | Cosme Saffioti, Stan Witten | 28,500,000 | The reverse features a corn poppy coloured red, the first coloured general circulation coin in the world.[24] |-|2005|Year of the Veteran|Elaine Gobel|29,390,000|The reverse features the conjoined busts of young and old veteran, facing left.|-|2006|Pink Ribbon|Cosme Saffioti|29,798,000[25] |The second colourized coin in general issue. The colouration is more scratch-resistant.|-|2006|Medal of Bravery|RCM Engravers|20,040,000|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[26] |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[27] |Cosme Saffioti|10,978,000|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[28] |Features two varieties of frosted accents|-|2013|Life in the North|Tim Pitsiulak|12,500,000|Features two varieties of frosted accents: one with a frosted Bowhead whale and the other with frosted Belugas|-|2015|50th anniversary of the Canadian flag |Bonnie Ross|12,500,000[29] |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|Features a poppy. Half were issued colourized.|-|2017|Canada 150|Joelle Wong|20,000,000|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|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 ConfederationIn 1992, to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Confederation, the RCM released twelve commemorative coins, one for each Canadian province and territory at the time. These were the inspiration[30] for the US 50 State Quarters program of 1999 to 2008. Nunavut, which separated from the Northwest Territories seven years later in 1999, was honoured with a special $2 coin.
1999–2000: millennium quartersIn 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.
2005: Alberta and Saskatchewan centennialsIn 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.[31] The coin had a mintage of 20,640,000.[32] 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.[33] The coin's mintage was 19,290,000.
2007–2010: Vancouver Olympics 2010
2011: Legendary Nature
2012: War of 1812 bicentennial
Canada DaySince 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.
Collecting
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.[45] External links |