1921 Canadian Quarter
The 1921 Canadian Quarter is a Canadian quarter struck for circulation with 597,337 made. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1921
- Circulation mintage
- 597,337
- Value band
- Small premium
- Composition
- 80% silver, 20% copper
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1921 Canadian Quarter worth?
At 597,337, the 1921 Canadian Quarter has a smaller run than most Canadian quarters, so collectors pay a small premium for it, especially in uncirculated condition. Well circulated examples sit close to face value.
What would make yours worth more:
- Sharp detail with original luster
- A recognized variety for the date
- Professional grading for a key date
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 1921 Canadian Quarter rare?
- It is scarcer than most Canadian quarters. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many 1921 Canadian quarters were made?
- 597,337 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1921 Canadian Quarter made of?
- 80% silver, 20% copper. It weighs 5.83 g and measures 23.62 mm.
- Is the 1921 Canadian Quarter still legal tender?
- Yes. Every Canadian quarter is legal tender at 25 cents, but a silver one is worth more for its metal than its face value.
The 1921 quarter in context
The 1921 is the last George V quarter before a five year gap. After the heavy wartime production, demand fell away in the postwar slump and the Ottawa mint struck just 597,337 quarters dated 1921. There are no quarters at all for 1922 to 1926, so this small run, together with the coins already in circulation, had to serve the country until 1927. Its run was less than a third of the 1,975,278 struck for 1920.
Collectors rank the 1921 among the better George V dates. It is not as scarce as the 1915 sterling coin, but it was the lowest figure for an 80 percent quarter until 1927. Its fame gets a lift from the 1921 fifty cent piece, one of Canada's great rarities, which shares the date and draws attention to the whole year. If you are sorting a jar of old silver, the 1921 quarter is one of the dates worth pulling out every time, along with the 1927 and the 1934 that came after it. Few turn up in sharp condition.
How to recognize it
Mackennal's crowned bust of George V carries GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: REX ET IND: IMP:. On the reverse, 25 CENTS, CANADA and 1921 sit inside the maple wreath under a crown. The coin is 80 percent silver, 5.83 g and 23.62 mm, with about 0.15 troy ounces of pure silver. There is no mint mark. The 1 at the end of the date is narrow and easy to wear down, so a worn 1921 can be mistaken for a 1920. Check under a magnifier that you are seeing a single upright stroke rather than an oval. Weight and size match every other 80 percent George V quarter.
1921 Canadian Quarter by the numbers
By the numbers, the 1921 Canadian Quarter ranks 26th lowest of 147 Canadian quarter dates and varieties from 1870 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 1886 Canadian Quarter (540,000); the next more common is the 1882 H Canadian Quarter (600,000).
For scale, the most common is the 2000 Canadian Quarter with 434.1 million, about 727 times as many. The scarcest is the 1889 Canadian Quarter with 66,324, 9 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1921 output was 3.3 times fewer than 1920 and 1.3 times the 1927 figure.
Over the 1920s the Mint produced 7.85 million quarters across 5 dates and varieties; the 1921 Canadian Quarter accounts for 7.6% of that.
What to check on your 1921 Canadian Quarter
- Check the date first: silver Canadian quarters carry dates from 1870 to 1968; this one has 0.15 troy oz. Silver coins are not magnetic and ring clearly when dropped on a hard surface.
- Never clean it. Rubbing or polishing leaves fine scratches that collectors spot at once and that cut the value of silver dates sharply.
- Look at the high points of the portrait and the design. Wear there sets the grade. The grade in turn drives the value of older quarters.
At 597,337, the 1921 carries a collector premium even in worn condition and well preserved examples are scarce. Most survivors circulated for years. Coins with clear details on the crown and a full wreath are worth putting aside. Avoid cleaning, which strips the natural toning collectors like on George V silver. Because the date draws real interest, a grading service opinion is sensible for a high grade coin. Many survivors show scratches or old cleaning, so an original coin stands out. A holed coin keeps some interest, but much less.
George V 80% silver quarters, 1920 to 1936
Silver prices jumped after the First World War and in 1920 Canada lowered the fineness of its silver coins from sterling to 80 percent. The quarter was set at 5.83 g and 23.62 mm, which leaves about 0.15 troy ounces of pure silver in each one. Nothing on the coin announces the change. Mackennal's portrait of George V and the maple wreath reverse carried on as before, so a 1919 and a 1920 look alike and only the date tells you which alloy you have.
Demand then fell away. After 597,337 coins dated 1921, no quarters were struck at all for 1922 to 1926, since banks still held plenty from the big wartime runs. Production restarted in 1927 with a modest 468,096. On 1 December 1931 the Ottawa branch of the Royal Mint became the Royal Canadian Mint, though the quarters look no different. Through the Depression years mintages stayed small, at 421,282 for 1933 and 384,350 for 1934, the lowest regular date of this group.
George V died in January 1936. Edward VIII never had Canadian coins struck in his name and George VI's dies were not ready in time, so in 1937 the mint struck more coins from 1936 dies with a small dot added below the date. That 1936 dot quarter, the 1921, the 1927 and the 1934 are the dates collectors hunt for here. Every coin from these years is silver, so even a worn one is worth more than face value for its metal alone.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 25 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1921 |
| Circulation mintage | 597,337 |
| Composition | 80% silver, 20% copper |
| Weight | 5.83 g |
| Diameter | 23.62 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Frequently asked questions
Why were no Canadian quarters made from 1922 to 1926?
Demand for coins dropped after the First World War and there were enough quarters in circulation. After 597,337 coins dated 1921, the mint did not strike quarters again until 1927, when 468,096 were made.
Is the 1921 quarter as rare as the 1921 fifty cent piece?
No. The 1921 fifty cent piece is one of Canada's great rarities, while the 1921 quarter is a scarce date that is still available. Both draw collector premiums, though at very different levels.
Mintage figures: Quarter (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.