# 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. 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. While bronze and silver coins were initially struck at the Royal Mint in 1858, these only included currency up to twenty-cents. 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. 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. 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.
Canadian quarters initially weighed 89.66 grains and were roughly 24 mm in diameter with a plain edge. 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. 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". 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. Heaton & Sons continued to mint only "H" marked quarters for 1872. No quarters were struck by the Royal Mint or Heaton for Canada in 1873 as there was an increased demand for "Imperial coinage". Heaton continued to mint quarters for Canada afterward from 1874 to 1883. 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. Quarters that date from 1884 to 1889 were all struck at the Royal Mint in London before Heaton was called for again. 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. Coinage returned to the Royal Mint in 1891 and Canadian quarters were struck there through the remainder of Queen Victoria's reign. 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 "Edwardus VII Dei gratia Rex Imperator". Canadian quarters continued to be struck in England until 1907 with the opening of the Ottawa Mint. 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 "Georgius V Rex et Ind:Imp:"; however, this was criticized by the public as the decision to omit "Dei gratia" (by the grace of God) was called "godless" and "graceless". As a result, the words Dei gra 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. This act was put into place as the price of silver had risen due to the aftermath of World War I. 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.
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. 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 "Georgius VI D:G: Rex Et Ind:Imp:". 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. After some debate, the head of a caribou was designed by Canadian sculptor Emanuel Hahn for the quarter.
India's declaration of independence in 1947 affected the quarter, as the words Ind:Imp: (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. 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. 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 "Elizabeth II Dei Gratia Regina" (Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen). For Canadian coinage, this marked the first time that master dies were made at the Royal Canadian Mint. During production, the diameter of the quarter was increased from 23.6 to 23.9 mm. 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. 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. In 1964, Queen Elizabeth approved a second effigy of herself on Canadian coinage which was made by British artist and sculptor Arnold Machin. This second bust features the Queen facing right while wearing a tiara surrounded by Latin text where "Dei Gratia" is abbreviated again to read "D.G."
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. 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". At the same time, the silver content was lowered from 80% to 50% by a proclamation which was authorized on August 17, 1967. This mid-year change meant that two varieties were produced that differ in their silver content. A similar event occurred in 1968 as the quarter was transitioned from 50% silver to pure nickel.
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. During this time, Queen Elizabeth's obverse bust was modified to be slightly smaller. 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. Although nickel was by then dominant, silver quarters of both amounts (50% and 80%) continued to circulate until at least 1979. It was estimated by the mid-1980s that it cost the mint five cents to produce a nickel-alloyed quarter.

### Elizabeth II (1990–2022)

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. 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. For this event, Canada celebrated its 125th anniversary in 1992 by minting twelve circulating commemorative quarters.

## Composition and size

| Years | Mass | Diameter | Composition |
| 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, 3.8% copper, 2.2% nickel plating |

## Circulation figures
### Victoria & Edward VII

| Year | Mintage |
| 1870 | 900,000 |
| 1871 | 400,000 |
| 1871 H | 748,000 |
| 1872 H | 2,240,000 |
| 1874 H | 1,600,000 |
| 1875 H | 1,000,000 |
| 1880 H | 400,000 |
| 1881 H | 820,000 |
| 1882 H | 600,000 |
| 1883 H | 960,000 |
| 1885 | 192,000 |
| 1886 | 540,000 |
| 1887 | 100,000 |
| 1888 | 400,000 |
| 1889 | 66,324 |
| 1890 H | 200,000 |
| 1891 | 120,000 |
| 1892 | 510,000 |
| 1893 | 100,000 |
| 1894 | 220,000 |
| 1899 | 415,580 |
| 1900 | 1,320,000 |
| 1901 Victoria | 640,000 |
| 1902 Edward VII | 464,000 |
| 1902 H | 800,000 |
| 1903 | 846,150 |
| 1904 | 400,000 |
| 1905 | 800,000 |
| 1906 | 1,237,843 |
| 1907 | 2,088,000 |
| 1908 | 495,016 |
| 1909 | 1,335,929 |
| 1910 | 3,577,569 |

### George V & George VI

| Year | Mintage |
| 1911 – No "Dei gratia" | 1,721,341 |
| 1912 – With "Dei gra." | 2,544,199 |
| 1913 | 2,213,595 |
| 1914 | 1,215,397 |
| 1915 | 242,382 |
| 1916 | 1,462,566 |
| 1917 | 3,365,644 |
| 1918 | 4,175,649 |
| 1919 | 5,852,262 |
| 1920 | 1,975,278 |
| 1921 | 597,337 |
| 1927 | 468,096 |
| 1928 | 2,114,178 |
| 1929 | 2,690,562 |
| 1930 | 968,748 |
| 1931 | 537,815 |
| 1932 | 537,994 |
| 1933 | 421,282 |
| 1934 | 384,350 |
| 1935 | 537,772 |
| 1936 George V | 972,094 |
| 1936 George V (dot) | 153,322 |
| 1937 George VI | 2,689,813 |
| 1938 | 3,149,245 |
| 1939 | 3,532,495 |
| 1940 | 9,583,650 |
| 1941 | 6,654,672 |
| 1942 | 6,935,871 |
| 1943 | 13,559,575 |
| 1944 | 7,216,237 |
| 1945 | 5,296,495 |
| 1946 | 2,210,810 |
| 1947 | 1,524,554 |
| 1947 ML | 4,393,938 |
| 1948 | 2,564,424 |
| 1949 | 7,988,630 |
| 1950 | 9,673,335 |
| 1951 | 8,290,710 |
| 1952 | 8,859,642 |

### Elizabeth II

| Year | Mintage | Notes |
| 1953 No strap | 10,546,769 | These varieties are also referred to as "with shoulder fold" and "without shoulder fold". |
| 1953 Strap | 10,546,769 | These varieties are also referred to as "with shoulder fold" and "without shoulder fold". |
| 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 | 2nd obverse portrait |
| 1966 | 25,626,315 | |
| 1967 80% silver | 48,855,500 | 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 | 48,855,500 | 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. |
| 1968 50% silver | 71,464,000 | |
| 1968 nickel | 88,686,931 | |
| 1969 | 133,037,929 | |
| 1970 | 10,302,010 | |
| 1971 | 48,170,428 | |
| 1972 | 43,743,387 | |
| 1973 Large bust | 134,958,587 | 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 | 134,958,587 | Quarters dated 1973 have "large" and "small" bust varieties of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse while the reverse depicts a mounted RCMP officer. |
| 1974 | 192,360,598 | |
| 1975 | 141,148,000 | |
| 1976 | 86,898,261 | |
| 1977 | 99,634,555 | |
| 1978 | 176,475,408 | |
| 1979 | 131,042,905 | |
| 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 | 3rd obverse portrait |
| 1991 | 459,000 | Production was low this year as resources were prepared for the following year's commemorative coins. |
| 1992 | — | 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 | |
| 1994 | 77,670,000 | |
| 1995 | 89,210,000 | |
| 1996 | 28,106,000 | |
| 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 | An estimated 20,000 quarters are dated 1999 (P). |
| 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 | Dated 1952–2002 to reflect Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee |
| 2003 P Crowned | 87,647,000 | Crowned 3rd obverse portrait |
| 2003 P Uncrowned | 66,861,633 | Uncrowned 4th obverse portrait |
| 2004 P | 177,466,000 | |
| 2005 P | 206,346,000 | |
| 2006 P | 423,189,000 | |
| 2007 caribou | 386,763,000 | The nickel-plated steel "P" mark (below bust on obverse) was dropped and replaced by an RCM logo. |
| 2008 caribou | 387,222,000 | |
| 2009 caribou | 266,766,000 | |
| 2010 caribou | 167,500,000 | |
| 2011 caribou | 212,970,000 | |
| 2012 caribou | 178,450,000 | |
| 2013 | 118,480,000 | |
| 2014 | 97,440,000 | |
| 2015 | 97,320,000 | |
| 2016 | 106,880,000 | |
| 2017 | 110,720,000 | |
| 2018 | 102,560,000 | |
| 2019 | 80,160,000 | |
| 2020 | 96,000,000 | |
| 2021 | 110,560,000 | |
| 2022 | 91,680,000 | |

### Charles III

| Year | Mintage |
| 2023 | 80,510,000 |
| 2024 | TBA |
| 2025 | TBA |