1927 Canadian Quarter
The 1927 Canadian Quarter is a Canadian quarter struck for circulation with 468,096 made. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1927
- Circulation mintage
- 468,096
- 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 1927 Canadian Quarter worth?
At 468,096, the 1927 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 1927 Canadian Quarter rare?
- It is scarcer than most Canadian quarters. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many 1927 Canadian quarters were made?
- 468,096 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1927 Canadian Quarter made of?
- 80% silver, 20% copper. It weighs 5.83 g and measures 23.62 mm.
- Is the 1927 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 1927 quarter in context
When the Ottawa mint went back to quarters after five years without any, it struck 468,096 dated 1927. That figure is among the lowest of George V's 80 percent coins and it makes the 1927 one of the key dates of the reign. The years after it were much larger, with 2,114,178 in 1928 and 2,690,562 in 1929, before the Depression pulled numbers down again. For five years the only quarters in Canadian pockets were older coins, so the 1927 was the first fresh quarter many people had seen in a while.
For collectors, the 1927 is one of the main hurdles in a George V date set, along with the 1921, the 1934 and the 1936 dot. It is the coin that bridges the gap of 1922 to 1926, the first quarter of the late 1920s recovery. Survivors in better grades are scarce. The design did not change after the break: Mackennal's portrait and the maple wreath simply carried on where 1921 left off, so only the date and the mintage make it special.
How to recognize it
The obverse carries Mackennal's crowned and robed bust of George V with GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: REX ET IND: IMP:. The reverse shows 25 CENTS, CANADA and 1927 inside a maple wreath under a crown. The coin is 80 percent silver, 5.83 g and 23.62 mm. The 7 at the end of the date is the digit to confirm: it should have a straight diagonal stroke. A worn 1929 can look similar once the loop of the 9 fades, so check for any curve at the top. There is no mint mark. Look at the arches of the crown and the leaf tips to judge wear.
1927 Canadian Quarter by the numbers
By the numbers, the 1927 Canadian Quarter ranks 19th lowest of 147 Canadian quarter dates and varieties from 1870 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 1902 Canadian Quarter (464,000); the next more common is the 1908 Canadian Quarter (495,016).
For scale, the most common is the 2000 Canadian Quarter with 434.1 million, about 927 times as many. The scarcest is the 1889 Canadian Quarter with 66,324, 7.1 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1927 output was 1.3 times fewer than 1921 and 4.5 times fewer than 1928.
Over the 1920s the Mint produced 7.85 million quarters across 5 dates and varieties; the 1927 Canadian Quarter accounts for 6.0% of that.
What to check on your 1927 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.
With 468,096 struck, the 1927 carries a collector premium in every grade and is one of the key dates of the George V series. Most examples are well worn, so look for detail in the crown and the leaves. Because it is a key date, authenticity matters: compare weight and style with a common 1928 and use a grading service for anything in high grade. Leave old toning alone. Coins with even, natural toning and no cleaning marks are the most wanted.
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 | 1927 |
| Circulation mintage | 468,096 |
| Composition | 80% silver, 20% copper |
| Weight | 5.83 g |
| Diameter | 23.62 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1927 Canadian quarter a key date?
Yes. Only 468,096 were struck, the first quarters after a gap from 1922 to 1926. It is one of the hardest George V quarters to find, along with 1921, 1934 and the 1936 dot.
What is a 1927 Canadian quarter made of?
It is 80 percent silver and 20 percent copper, weighing 5.83 g. That works out to about 0.15 troy ounces of pure silver, so even a heavily worn example is worth more than face value.
Mintage figures: Quarter (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.