Canadian Twenty Five Cent Reverse Designs and Coin Specifications
Reverse Designs
This page shows the major die designs since Canadian 25 cent coins were introduced in 1870. It does NOT cover "die blunders", where dies were re-punched
with different years (and the previous number is visible below the current number), or where cracks appeared in the dies causing unwanted lines
to appear in the coin. It also does not cover date doubling or special coins created for the collector market. All of the coin designs displayed here were
manufactured for general circulation as legal tender. NOTE: Click on any photo to load a much larger version of the same photo |
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Victorian Obverse known as "RQ1". The acronym is explained as follows: R = Reverse Q = Quarter Dollar 1 = Variant Type 1 Engraver: Leonard Charles Wyon The face value is surrounded with two maple boughs and a likeness of the St. Edwards crown. Note: Any coin that includes a capital "H" below the boughs at the bottom of the coin were manufactured at the Heaton Mint in Birmingham, instead of the Royal Mint in London. Found on the following dates: 1870, 1871, 1871H, 1872H, 1874H, 1875H, 1880H |
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Victorian Reverse known as "RQ2" Found on the following dates: 1881H |
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Victorian Reverse known as "RQ3" Found on the following dates: 1882H |
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Victorian Reverse known as "RQ4" Found on the following dates: 1883H, 1885, 1886 |
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Victorian Reverse known as "RQ5" Found on the following dates: 1886-1889, 1890H, 1892-1894, 1899-1901 |
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Victorian Reverse known as "RQ6" Found on the following dates: 1886-1889, 1890H, 1891-1894, 1899-1901 |
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Engraver: W.H.J. Blakemore
After the death of Queen Victoria in January of 1901, a new reverse was designed. One obvious change to the reverse is the crown at the top of the coin. The St. Edwards Crown used in the Victorian era was changed to the Imperial State Crown. |
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The reverse design was changed in 1906 by W.H.J. Blakemore to improve die life and improve the proportions of the elements. - The crown was enlarged. - On the large crown design there is a fold in the velvet lining on the right side of the crown. - The amount of detail in the Maltese Cross on the top of the crown. - It is also obvious that the large crown is much closer to the leaves on both sides than the small crown. - The bar above the date ends in two different locations. |
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Engraver: W.H.J. Blakemore After the death of Edward VII in 1910 and the addition of India to the British Empire, a new coin was designed. The reverse design used between 1906 and 1910 was continued. All of the changes to the coin were made to the obverse side. |
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Engraver: Emanuel Hahn After the death of George V in January 1936, a new obverse was designed by with the likeness of King George VI (uncrowned). Because all canadian coins were to be modernized, it was also decided to completely re-design the reverse side of the coin. The new design features a profile view of a Caribou. |
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Engraver: Alex Colville To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Confederation, Alex Colville created a special set of designs for all coin denominations. The 25 cent coin features the side view of a Canadian Bobcat. |
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In 1968 the Emanuel Hahn Caribou reverse design was resumed. Starting in 1968, 25 cent coins were manufactured with 100% nickel, instead of the silver alloys that had been used previously. Because nickel is a considerably harder material than silver, a few very minor details were changed in order to make manufacturing easier. |
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Engraver: Paul Cedarberg A special coin was designed to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the North West Mounted Police, which was later renamed to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The standard rim denticles were replaced by a row of dots around the rim. |
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For the 125th anniversary of Confederation, thr reverse of the regular Caribou design was altered to show the dates "1867-1992". The other noticeable difference
is the size of the rim denticles. For the anniversary coin the denticles are considerably longer.
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The designers of the 1992 coins were as follows: |
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The transition to using beads on the rim of all Canadian coins was completed in 1993 when that change was made to the reverse of the 25 cent coin. NOTE: No standard "Caribou" 25 cent coins were released for circulation between 1997 and 2000. They were, however, minted and included in the regular uncirculated sets as well as the"O Canada" and "Tiny Treasures" sets. Some of these sets were purchased by the general public, then broken apart and the individual coins offered for sale to collectors. |
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The designers of the 1999 coins were as follows: |
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The designers of the 2000 coins were as follows: |
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Starting in 2001, the Mint accepted and implemented its 1999 experiment with the use of multi-ply steel material instead of nickel alloys. This process starts with a steel core,
then adds layers by electroplating nickel, then copper and finally nickel to the core. As such, all 25 cent coins after 2001 are manufactured using this process. |
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Anniversary of Elizabeth II Coronation in 1952: In 2002, a special set of dies were used to produce all Canadian twenty five cent coins. The date was moved to the obverse side of the coin, and changed to read "1952 2002" |
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Designed by Judith Chartier and Stan Witten, in 2002 a special set of dies were used to produce a "Canada Day" 25 cent coin. As it was in the regular issue 2002 Caribou coin, the date was moved to the obverse side of the coin, and changed to read "1952 2002" |
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In 2004, two commemorative coins were produced: - Designed by Robert R. Carmichael and Stan Witten, the first celebrates the establishment of the first year-round settlement in Canada, on the island of St. Croix, by Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons and Samuel de Champlain. - Designed by Cosme Saffioti and Stan Witten, the second coin was released to commemorate Remembrance Day, and was the first coloured circulation coin issed in Canada. Both coins share the same obverse. |
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In 2005, three commemorative coins were produced: - Designed by Michelle Grant and Stan Witten, the first celebrates the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of Alberta as a province. - Designed by Paulett Sapergia, Jose Osio, the second celebrates the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of Saskatchewan as a province. - Designed by Elaine Globe, the third coin was released to celebrate the Year of the Veteran. |
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Designed by the RCM staff, in 2006 a special coin was designed to support breast cancer awareness. Its obverse copied the design of the 2003-2006 "P" obverse, but because of the complications of the reverse design,
the date was moved to the top of the obverse side. |
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Designed by Cosme Saffioti, in 2006 a special coin was designed honours the Medal of Bravery which is presented to Canadian citizens who have performed acts of remarkable bravery in their normal lives. It uses the same "logo" design used from 2006-2011, but because of the complications of the reverse design, the word "CANADA" was moved from the reverse to the top of the obverse side. |
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Starting in 2007 a series of 25 cent coins were designed to celebrate the Winter Olympics, which were to be hosted by Vancouver, British Columbia. The date and the word "CANADA"
were moved from the reverse side to the bottom of the obverse While four different reverse designs were released in 2007 (all Designed by Glen Green), they all shared the same obverse. Paralympic Games In addition to the regular Winter Olympic sports that were immortalized, another coin was designed by Glen Green to celebrate the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games, also hosted by Vancouver B.C. The obverse of the Paralympic Wheelchair Curling coin was the same as the regular Olympic obverse, but the Olympic logo was replaced by the 2010 Paralympic logo. |
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In 2008 the Olympic 25 cent series of coins was continued. While four different reverse designs were released in 2008 (all Designed by Glen Green), they all shared the same obverse as the 2007 releases, with the exception of the changed date. |
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In 2008 a special coin was designed by Cosme Saffioti to honour the 90th anniversary of the Armistice which brought the First World War to an end. It uses the same "logo" obverse design used from 2006-2011, but because of the complications of the reverse design, the word "CANADA" was moved from the reverse to the top of the obverse side, |
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In 2009 the Olympic 25 cent series of coins was continued. While two different reverse designs were released in 2009 (all Designed by Glen Green), they all shared the same obverse as the 2007 and 2008 releases, with the exception of the changed date. In addition to the regular Winter Olympic sports that were immortalized, another coin was designed by Glen Green to celebrate the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games, also hosted by Vancouver B.C. The obverse of the Paralympic Ice Sledge Hockey coin was the same as the regular Olympic obverse, but the Olympic logo was replaced by the 2010 Paralympic logo. |
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In 2009 the Olympic 25 cent series was completed with the release of a special set of coins which celebrated the exceptional performances of Canadian athletes from the previous two Winter Olympics: - The Canadian Men's Hockey gold medal in the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. - The Canadian Women's Hockey gold medal in the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. - Cindy Klassen's five medals (1 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze) in Women's Speedskating in the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy. Six different coins were produced (all designed by Jason Bouwman). For each of the three main designs, one brilliant and one with a coloured maple leaf in the background were produced. A completely different obverse design was used for this series of coins. The same effigy of Elizabeth II was used, but in a larger size. Not only was the date and the word "CANADA" moved to the obverse, but also the denomination marking of "25 CENTS" was moved to the obverse |
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In 2010 a special coin was designed by Cosme Saffioti to honour the 55th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. It uses the same "logo" design used from 2006-2011, but the Royal Canadian Mint logo was removed from obverse side. |
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As part of the series of coins which celebrate the 100th anniversary of Canada's National Parks system, in 2011 a special set of 25 cent coins were designed by BBDO to
celebrate three of Canada's most legendary creatures: - The Orca, or Killer Whale (one brilliant and one coloured) - The Bison (one brilliant and one coloured), and - The Peregrine Falcon (one brilliant and one coloured). These coins used the same obverse as the 2010 Remembrance 25 cent coin. |
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In 2012 two coins were designed by Bonnie Ross to honour the 200th anniversary of the end of the War of 1812: - One to remember the accomplishments of Major General Sir Isaac Brock for his heroic and successful defence of Upper Canada in 1812 - One to remember the exploits of The great Shawnee Chief Tecumseh, who fought heroically out of a desire to build an independent homeland for his people. Both coins use the same obverse. |
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In 2013 the last two coins of the series were designed by Bonnie Ross to honour the 200th anniversary of the end of the War of 1812: - One to remember the accomplishments of Charles-Michel d'Irumberry de Salaberry and his group of Colonial regulars, the Voltigeurs Canadiens, which was a light infantry unit that would become one of the most successful and well-known units to fight in the War of 1812. - One to remember the exploits of Laura Secord, who played a critical part in our nation's success during the War of 1812. Both coins use the same obverse. |
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In 2013 Two coins were designed to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first Arctic expedition by white explorers: - 100th Anniversary of the Canadian Arctic Expedition Design: This coin was designed by Canadian artist Bonnie Ross and draws on photography from the Canadian Arctic Expedition. The coin depicts a group ofthree men aboard a dogsled. The skyline and horizon in the background are filled with a stylized image of a compass. This design was released in Brilliant and Frosted versions - Life in the North Design Designed by renowned Inuit artist Tim Pitsiulak, this coin includes a beautifully detailed design that combines animal and human imagery. A traditional whaling boat and three kayaks wrap around the image along the rim to depict a traditional bowhead whale hunt. Two beluga whales swim alongside a bowhead whale - animals that have long been a source of inspiration to the artist. The bowhead is adorned with several elements drawn from the Inuit culture. To honour the Tuniit people who first crossed the Bering Strait from Siberia, Dorset ivory masks adorn the bowhead's lower jaw and its back. A Thule ivory comb lies across the top of the whale's head, representing the Inuit expansion across Canada. The pattern on the whale's side mimics the walls of an igloo, while the amauti design that graces the whale's tale symbolizes the clothing worn by Inuit women. This design was released in two versions: - In the first version the Beluga Whales entire bodies, and the Bowhead Whale's lower jaw are frosted - In the second version the Beluga Whales are BU finish and the Bowhead Whale's body is frosted. Both coins use the same obverse. |
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In recognition of the 100th anniversary of the writing of In Flanders Fields by Canadian Lt. Col. John McCrae on the front lines of the Second Battle of Ypres, Belgium in 1915, a new coin was introduced, featuring
an artistic interpretation of the poppy. Designed by Laurie McGaw, it was presented in two versions: a coloured poppy which appeared on 6.25 million coins and an uncoloured version of the poppy, which graced 6.25 million non-coloured poppy coins. |
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In recognition of the 50th anniversary of Canada's current flag, two 25 cent coins were designed (one coloured and one frosted). This coin features a design of fifty children who each represent one of the flag's 50 years, as well as Canada's future. The words "50 years/ans" appear at the bottom center. The design was created by artist Bonnie Ross from Nova Scotia. Both coins use the same obverse design. |
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While the standard Caribou design was used for the classic 25 cent coin (only produced for the "Classic Canadian Coin Set"), a special series of circulation coins
were produced to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Confederation. The Sesquicentennial 25 cent coin - "Hope for a Green Future" To commemorate the 150th anniversary of Confederation, a design contest was held among all ordinary citizens. The twenty-five cent coin was designed by Joelle Wong from Richmond Hill, Ontario. This unique design features a pair of hands bringing life to a plant that connects all living things - represented by some notable Canadian animals. A second coin was released using the same design, but with colour added to the main reverse design elements. |
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