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 French, it is called a caribou or trente sous. The coin is produced at the Royal Canadian Mint's facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
History of composition
From 1920 until 1967 the quarter contained 0.15 troy ounces of silver—one quarter as much as the silver dollar, one half as much as the 50-cent piece, and times more than the dime.Commemorative reverses
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 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.
Single commemorative designs
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 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 | Province/territory | Date of Release | Description | Artist | Mintage |
| Alberta | June 4, 1992 | The Alberta badlands | Mel Heath | 12,133,000 | |
| British Columbia | December 9, 1992 | An orca surfacing with the Coast Mountains in the distance | Carla Egan | 14,001,000 | |
| Manitoba | April 7, 1992 | A Hudson's Bay Company fort | Muriel Hope | 11,349,000 | |
| New Brunswick | January 9, 1992 | The Oldfields Covered Bridge | Ronald Lambert | 12,174,000 | |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | March 5, 1992 | A fisherman in a dory | Christoper Newhook | 11,405,000 | |
| Northwest Territories | February 6, 1992 | An inuksuk | Beth McEachen | 12,580,000 | |
| Nova Scotia | September 9, 1992 | The Peggys Point Lighthouse at Peggy's Cove | Bruce Wood | 13,600,000 | |
| Ontario | August 6, 1992 | A windswept tree on the Canadian Shield | Greg Salmela | 14,263,000 | |
| Prince Edward Island | July 7, 1992 | The province's distinctive coastline | Nigel Roe | 13,001,000 | |
| Quebec | October 1, 1992 | Sailboats at Percé Rock | Romualdas Bukauskas | 13,607,000 | |
| Saskatchewan | November 5, 1992 | Ears of wheat, grain elevators, and a train of Canadian Wheat Board hopper cars | Brian Cobb | 14,165,000 | |
| Yukon | May 7, 1992 | The Kaskawulsh Glacier | Libby Dulac | 10,388,000 |
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 | Month | Theme | Artist | Date of Issue | Mintage |
| January 1999 | A Country Unfolds | Peter Ka-Kin Poon | January 5, 1999 | 12,238,559 | |
| February 1999 | Etched in Stone | Lonnie Springer | February 1, 1999 | 13,985,195 | |
| March 1999 | The Log Drive | Marjolaine Lavoie | 15,157,061 | ||
| April 1999 | Our Northern Heritage | Kenojuak Ashevak | March 30, 1999 | 15,214,397 | |
| May 1999 | The Voyageurs | Sergiy Minenok | May 3, 1999 | 14,906,187 | |
| June 1999 | From Coast to Coast | Gordon Ho | June 2, 1999 | 19,821,722 | |
| July 1999 | A Nation of People | Maria H. Sarkany | July 1, 1999 | 16,537,018 | |
| August 1999 | The Pioneer Spirit | Alzira Botelho | August 3, 1999 | 17,621,561 | |
| September 1999 | Canada Through a Child's Eye | Claudia Bertrand | August 27, 1999 | 31,077,650 | |
| October 1999 | A Tribute to First Nations | Jason Edward Read | October 4, 1999 | 31,964,487 | |
| November 1999 | The Airplane Opens the North | Brian R. Bacon | 27,437,677 | ||
| December 1999 | This Is Canada | J.L. Pierre Provencher | 42,927,482 | ||
| January 2000 | Pride Red colour was added to the two on Maple Leaf | Donald F. Warkentin | January 6, 2000 | 50,749,102 | |
| February 2000 | Ingenuity | John Jaciw | February 4, 2000 | 35,812,988 | |
| March 2000 | Achievement | Daryl Ann Dorosz | 35,135,154 | ||
| April 2000 | Health | Anny Wassef | April 5, 2000 | 34,663,619 | |
| May 2000 | Natural Legacy | Randy Trantau | 36,416,953 | ||
| June 2000 | Harmony | Haver Demirer | June 1, 2000 | 34,604,075 | |
| July 2000 | Celebration Red colour was added to the flag | Laura Paxton | June 29, 2000 | 34,816,329 | |
| August 2000 | Family | Wade Stephen Baker | August 1, 2000 | 34,320,111 | |
| September 2000 | Wisdom | Cezar Şerbănescu | September 6, 2000 | 33,993,016 | |
| October 2000 | Creativity | Eric Hui | October 4, 2000 | 35,102,206 | |
| November 2000 | Freedom | Kathy Vinish | November 1, 2000 | 33,251,352 | |
| December 2000 | Community | Michelle Thibodeau | December 4, 2000 | 34,378,898 |
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. The coin had a mintage of 20,640,000.
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. The coin's mintage was 19,290,000.
| Image | Province | Date of Issue | Artist | Mintage |
| Alberta | July 19, 2005 | Michelle Grant | 20,640,000 | |
| Saskatchewan | July 13, 2005 | Paulette Sapergia | 19,290,000 |
2010 Vancouver Olympics
The Olympic coins do not have the inscription "D.G. Regina" making the coins "godless circulating coins". There has been a couple of circulation strike mule coins in this series, including 2007 Paralympic wheelchair curling and 2009 Olympic Alpine Skiing coins. With the medalist coins now called the Olympic moments coins, a very small percentage will be a colourized version.| Image | Date of Issue | Sport | Artist | Mintage |
| February 23, 2007 | Curling | Glen Green | 22,000,400 | |
| April 3, 2007 | Ice Hockey | Glen Green | 22,000,400 | |
| July 11, 2007 | Wheelchair curling | Glen Green | 22,000,400 | |
| September 12, 2007 | Biathlon | Glen Green | 22,000,400 | |
| October 24, 2007 | Alpine Skiing | Glen Green | 22,000,400 | |
| February 20, 2008 | Snowboarding | Glen Green | 22,000,400 | |
| April 16, 2008 | Freestyle Skiing | Glen Green | 22,000,400 | |
| November 18, 2008 | Figure Skating | Glen Green | 22,000,400 | |
| 2008 | Bobsleigh | Glen Green | 22,400,000 | |
| January 15, 2009 | Cross Country Skiing | Glen Green | 44,400,000 | |
| 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 | 20 000 000 | |
| September 29, 2009 | Men's Ice Hockey | J.B. & RCM engravers | 2,800,000 | |
| September 29, 2009 | Men's Ice Hockey | J.B. & RCM engravers | 200,000 | |
| November 17, 2009 | Women's Ice Hockey | J.B. & RCM engravers | TBA | |
| November 17, 2009 | Women's Ice Hockey | J.B. & RCM engravers | 3,000,000 | |
| January 5, 2010 | Cindy Klassen | J.B. & RCM engravers | 19,000,000 | |
| January 5, 2010 | Cindy Klassen | J.B. & RCM engravers | 3,000,000 |
2011: Legendary Nature
| Image | Date of Issue | Animal | Mintage |
| January 2011 | Wood bison | 6,250,000 | |
| January 2011 | Wood bison – colourized | 6,250,000 | |
| February 2011 | Orca | 6,250,000 | |
| February 2011 | Orca – colourized | 6,250,000 | |
| March 2011 | Peregrine falcon | 6,250,000 | |
| March 2011 | Peregrine falcon – colourized | 6,250,000 |
2012: War of 1812 Bicentennial
| Image | Date of Issue | Theme | Artist | Mintage | Notes |
| October 13, 2012 | Sir Isaac Brock | Bonnie Ross | 12,500,000 | Half feature a coloured maple leaf from the War of 1812 logo, while the remaining coins have a frosted portrait of Major-General Brock while the maple leaf remains unpainted. | |
| November 19, 2012 | Tecumseh | Bonnie Ross | 12,500,000 | Half feature a coloured maple leaf from the War of 1812 logo, while the remaining coins have a frosted portrait of Tecumseh while the maple leaf remains unpainted. | |
| March 18, 2013 | Charles-Michel de Salaberry | Bonnie Ross | 12,500,000 | Half feature a coloured maple leaf from the War of 1812 logo, while the remaining coins have a frosted portrait of Lieutenant Colonel de Salaberry while the maple leaf remains unpainted. | |
| June 22, 2013 | Laura Secord | Bonnie Ross | 12,500,000 | Half feature a coloured maple leaf from the War of 1812 logo, while the remaining coins have a frosted portrait of Laura Secord while the maple leaf remains unpainted. |
First strikes
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 | Issue Price | Special Notes |
| 2000 | Millennium coloured coin "Canada Day" | Laura Paxton | 26,106 | $8.95 | 1st Canada Day Coin. |
| 2001 | Canada Day Coloured Coin | Silke Ware | 96,352 | $9.95 | |
| 2002 | Canada Day Coloured Coin | Judith Chartier | 49,901 | $9.95 | Version w/o colour was circulated. |
| 2003 | Canada Day Coloured Coin | Jade Pearen | 63,511 | $9.95 | |
| 2004 | Canada Day Coloured Coin | Cosme Saffioti | 44,759 | $9.95 | |
| 2004 | Canada Day Multi-Ply Plated Steel | Nick Wooster | 29,762 | $24.95 | Part of Canada Day bundle. |
| 2005 | Canada Day Coin | Stan Witten | $9.95 | ||
| 2006 | Canada Day Coin | $9.95 | Packaged with four Crayola crayons. | ||
| 2007 | Canada Day Coin | $9.95 | Packaged with tattoos. | ||
| 2008 | Canada Day Coin | $9.95 | Packaged with tattoos. | ||
| 2009 | Canada Day Coin | $14.95 | Packaged with a postcard and a magnetic frame with character magnets. |
Other notable dates
- 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.
- 2000P Caribou: two examples are known to exist. They fetch $40,000 or more. Both are in private collections.
- 2000P Creativity: two are known to exist. They fetch $15,000 to $20,000.
- 2000P Community: five are known to exist. They fetch $12,000 to $15,000.
The Tooth Fairy and Friends
Facts
- 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.
- When coinage was changed in 1937, the caribou was originally planned for the five-cent coin, the beaver was planned for the ten-cent coin, and the Bluenose was planned for the twenty-five-cent coin.
- 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.
- 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, 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.