1934 Canadian Quarter
The 1934 Canadian Quarter is a Canadian quarter struck for circulation with 384,350 made. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1934
- Circulation mintage
- 384,350
- 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 1934 Canadian Quarter worth?
At 384,350, the 1934 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 1934 Canadian Quarter rare?
- It is scarcer than most Canadian quarters. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many 1934 Canadian quarters were made?
- 384,350 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1934 Canadian Quarter made of?
- 80% silver, 20% copper. It weighs 5.83 g and measures 23.62 mm.
- Is the 1934 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 1934 quarter in context
The Depression hit Canada hard and the mint's output of quarters stayed small through the early 1930s. Production fell from 968,748 in 1930 to about 538,000 in each of 1931 and 1932, then to 421,282 in 1933 and 384,350 in 1934. That 1934 figure is the lowest of any regular George V quarter in 80 percent silver, which is why it sits on every collector's list of the reign's keys.
By 1934 the Royal Canadian Mint had been operating under that name for a little over two years, after the Ottawa branch of the Royal Mint was transferred to Canadian control at the end of 1931. Nothing on the coin reflects that change. Output edged back up to 537,772 in 1935 and 972,094 in 1936, so the 1934 marks the bottom of the trough. Collectors usually find it to be the last real obstacle in a George V date set before the 1936 dot. Even the improving years of the mid 1930s did not bring the quarter near its wartime levels.
How to recognize it
Mackennal's portrait of George V, crowned and robed, sits inside GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: REX ET IND: IMP:. The reverse carries 25 CENTS, CANADA and 1934 within the maple wreath, crown above. Its 80 percent silver alloy, at 5.83 g and 23.62 mm, carries about 0.15 troy ounces of pure silver. Read the last digit carefully. A 4 is built from straight strokes with a crossbar, unlike the curves of a 3, though heavy wear can blur the crossbar. There is no mint mark, so the date carries all the identification. Wear first flattens the crown and the leaf veins on the reverse.
1934 Canadian Quarter by the numbers
In mintage terms the 1934 Canadian Quarter ranks 10th lowest of 147 Canadian quarter dates and varieties from 1870 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 1915 Canadian Quarter (242,382); the next more common is the 1871 Canadian Quarter (400,000).
For scale, the most common is the 2000 Canadian Quarter with 434.1 million, about 1129 times as many. The scarcest is the 1889 Canadian Quarter with 66,324, 5.8 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1934 output was 1.1 times fewer than 1933 and 1.4 times fewer than 1935.
Over the 1930s the Mint produced 13.9 million quarters across 11 dates and varieties; the 1934 Canadian Quarter accounts for 2.8% of that.
What to check on your 1934 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 384,350, the 1934 carries a collector premium in all grades and is a significant date for George V collectors. Worn coins are typical. Pieces with full crown jewels and sharp leaf detail are scarce. Because it is a key, check the weight and the style of the date against another George V quarter. Keep it uncleaned and in a soft holder. Uncirculated 1934s are significant rarities. Coins with original toning and no signs of cleaning draw the most interest from George V specialists.
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 | 1934 |
| Circulation mintage | 384,350 |
| Composition | 80% silver, 20% copper |
| Weight | 5.83 g |
| Diameter | 23.62 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Frequently asked questions
How many 1934 Canadian quarters were minted?
The Royal Canadian Mint struck 384,350, the lowest figure for any regular George V quarter in 80 percent silver. That makes the 1934 one of the key dates of the reign.
Was the 1934 quarter made by the Royal Canadian Mint?
Yes. The Ottawa branch of the Royal Mint became the Royal Canadian Mint on 1 December 1931, so the 1934 quarter was struck under the new name, though the coin itself shows no sign of it.
Mintage figures: Quarter (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.