Obverse: identify the front

George V faces left, with the monarch’s name and titles around the rim. This worn 1936 source specimen illustrates the older portrait, not a later Elizabeth II caribou quarter. Preserve legible letters without cleaning the surface to make an image look sharper.

Reverse: identify the back

The denomination 25 CENTS appears within crossed maple boughs, with CANADA and 1936. This is the older reverse before the caribou. Read the actual denomination because similar maple-bough arrangements occur on Canadian dimes and half dollars with different silver masses.

History and purpose

The issuer describes crossed maple boughs through 1936 and the caribou from 1937. The reference’s .800 quarter specification spans 1920–1967, while its .500 transition entry overlaps 1967. Design changes and monarch portraits should be recorded independently from the silver-composition identity.

How to identify this variant

Use the twenty-five-cent denomination, year and confirmed .800 alloy with nominal 5.8319 g mass. The pictured pre-1953 subtype uses the Mint’s 23.62 mm diameter; later .800 quarters are listed at 23.88 mm. The single catalog diameter represents the illustrated subtype, not every year.

Understanding its metal content

Multiply 5.8319 g by 0.8 to obtain 4.66552 g nominal silver, then divide by 31.1034768 g per troy ounce. Three correctly identified standard-weight coins contain approximately 0.450000 troy oz. These are decimal calculations from the cited specification, not an assay, customer weighing result, collector price or payment commitment. The remaining alloy is not additional silver.

Dates, varieties and composition changes

The 1967 centennial quarter has a bobcat reverse rather than the familiar caribou or older maple boughs. Do not decide eighty versus fifty percent from that image alone. Pre-1920 sterling quarters and later nickel quarters are outside this retained .800 identity.

Melt value versus collector value

Retain the monarch, date and reverse type when documenting a group. Worn surfaces can obscure distinctions, but a nominal silver amount does not establish a grade or rarity. Separate an uncertain transition issue for individual composition review rather than assigning the higher silver fraction.

Authenticity and condition

Keep measurements, denomination, date, both face designs and original packaging together. A familiar portrait or silver color cannot certify a composition. Use a suitable scale and caliper without scratching, cleaning or removing a coin from a grading holder. Preserve photographs and provenance for individual examination when attribution or authenticity is uncertain. These reference images do not grade or authenticate a customer coin.

Selling this coin

Sort this identified type separately from adjacent alloys and denominations. Record the quantity, readable dates and mint details, and supply both-side photographs for unusual or uncertain examples. Request an appraisal of the actual lot using the existing quote form; its prefilled coin context assists identification. Keep the nominal metal total separate from a collector assessment and any accepted offer.

Sources and calculation methodology

The reference’s .800 nominal quarter mass is 5.8319 g, rounding to the issuer’s 5.83 g. The displayed 23.62 mm diameter describes the photographed older group; later .800 quarters measure nominally 23.88 mm. The reference controls conflicting metal inputs, not unsupported universal dimensions. The reference is the owner-selected specification authority when references disagree. Rounded ASW displays are compared with the calculation rather than converted into extra precision. Photographic identity and photographer reuse rights are reviewed independently. No approved live feed is configured, so dollar melt values remain unavailable. Publication and modification dates document actual review, not an artificial freshness claim.

Common questions

References

• NGC: Canadian quarter composition rows — identity; dates .800 1920–1967 and overlapping .500 1967–1968; weight .800 5.8319 g; fineness .800; ASW rounded .15 oz (checked 2026-10-10)
• Royal Canadian Mint: twenty-five-cent designs and dimensions — design maple boughs through 1936, caribou from 1937, bobcat 1967; older diameter 23.62 mm and later 23.88 mm; rounded .800 mass 5.83 g (checked 2026-10-10)

Issue-year references

• Royal Canadian Mint: quarter annual mintages

Content maintained by CashForCoins. Last substantive record update: 2026-10-10. Report a specification or attribution issue through our contact page.

Related coins

Canadian Dime — 80% Silver

Photo credits and rights on the linked coin profile.

Canada • 80.0% silver; balance copper

Issue years: 1920–1921, 1928–1967

Fine silver: 0.060001 troy oz

Add to collection

Canadian Voyageur Silver Dollar — 1965–1966

Photo credits and rights on the linked coin profile.

Canada • 80% silver, 20% copper

Issue years: 1965–1966

Fine silver: 0.599290 troy oz

Add to collection