Collection: 25 Cents

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The 25 cent piece of Canadian currency, also known as a quarter, has been in circulation since 1870. This coin was not actually part of the original currency of Canada when coins were first minted. In the beginning, coins were minted by the Royal Mint of London. Coins were created by the Royal Mint for fifty years before the Royal Canadian Mint was created for the nation.

In 1858, coins were minted by the Royal Mint for Canada which included a 20 cent piece. By 1870, the government of Canada decided to do away with the 20 cent piece and many were melted down to create the twenty five cent piece which is still used today as a popular form of currency. The obverse side of the twenty five cent piece has included the image of the reigning monarch at the time when the coin was created. The reverse side has changed through the years to depict varying imagines including maple boughs and a caribou.

Reverse Side Designs

From 1870 to 1936, the 25 cent piece did not change the reverse image. The crossed maple boughs were seen on this side of the coin and also appeared on 10 cent coins and 50 cent coins from 1858 to 1936.

From 1937 to 1972, 1974 to 1991, 1993, 1998 and 2001 to present, the 25 cent piece featured the icon caribou design. This image was created by Emanuel Hahn and was put in place to try and modernize the look of coins in Canada.

In 1967, a centennial 25 cent coin was created by Alex Colville as part of the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation. This coin has the image of a bobcat on the reverse side.

In 1973, the 25 cent piece was known as the RCMP centennial and was designed by Paul Cederberg. This coin was made in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

In 1992, several anniversary coins were created in honor of the 125th anniversary of the Confederation. The coins were designed based on a contest held nationally with an image used to represent every province and territory. Coins included:
Yukon
Northwest Territories
British Columbia
Alberta
Saskatchewan
Manitoba
Ontario
Quebec
New Brunswick
Prince Edward Island
Nova Scotia
Newfoundland

In 1999, several more coins were created with the 25 cent piece by the Royal Canadian Mint. Known as the Millennium Collection, the coins were created as part of a Creat a Centsation contest which saw the production of two series of 25 cent coins. The year 1999 was to commemorate the last 1,000 years. A different coin was created for every month of the year.

In the year 2000, the Royal Canadian Mint produced the second batch of the Create a Centsation contest which represented the hopes for the new millennium. This included:
Creativity
Freedom
Community
Wisdom
Family
Celebration
Pride
Health
Natural Legacy
Harmony
Achievement
Ingenuity

In 2002, a coin was created to represent Canada Day and the 135th anniversary. The design on the reverse was created by Judith Chartier. In 2004, two coins were created based on the 25 cent piece. The IIe Sainte-Croix was in representation of the 400th anniversary of the first French settlement of North America while the Poppy coin was the first to be in color in circulation.

2005 saw three coins created. The Saskatchewan Centennial which featured the Western Meadowlark along with the Alberta Centennial with the design of a landscape in Alberta. That year also saw the production of the Year of the Veteran coin which was designed by Elaine Goble showing veterans of two different generations. The 25 cent piece continues to be a popular denomination for commemorative issues and we will see many more to come. To purchase older Quarters or to keep up with new releases, Colonial Acres coins is here to help.