2023 Canadian Quarter
The 2023 Canadian Quarter is a Canadian quarter struck for circulation with 80.5 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2023
- Circulation mintage
- 80,510,000
- Value band
- Face value
- Composition
- Nickel-plated steel
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 2023 Canadian Quarter worth?
With 80.5 million made, the 2023 Canadian Quarter is common and worth face value in circulated condition. Only uncirculated coins with full luster, recognized varieties and genuine errors interest collectors.
What would make yours worth more:
- Full uncirculated luster
- A recognized variety or genuine error
- Coins from a specimen or proof set
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 2023 Canadian Quarter rare?
- No. 80.5 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2023 Canadian quarters were made?
- 80,510,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 2023 Canadian Quarter made of?
- Nickel-plated steel. It weighs 4.4 g and measures 23.88 mm.
- Is the 2023 Canadian Quarter still legal tender?
- Yes. Every Canadian quarter is legal tender at 25 cents.
The 2023 quarter in context
Charles III became king when Queen Elizabeth II died on 8 September 2022. The Royal Canadian Mint then began work on his portrait for Canada's coins. The design by the Canadian artist Steven Rosati was unveiled in November 2023 and shows the king without a crown. Coins with the new portrait, the quarter among them, began reaching circulation around the end of 2023. It was the first new royal portrait on Canadian coins since Susanna Blunt's in 2003.
The published figure for 2023 is 80,510,000 quarters. Elizabeth II's portrait had appeared on Canadian quarters since 1953, so 2023 marks the first change of monarch on the coin in seventy years. The caribou on the reverse is the same design Emanuel Hahn created for George VI in 1937, which means the 2023 quarter pairs one of the newest Canadian portraits with one of the oldest designs still in use. Both portraits remain legal tender and will circulate together for decades. The 2023 figure sits close to the mintages of the last Elizabeth II years.
How to recognize it
The obverse shows Steven Rosati's portrait of Charles III, uncrowned, with the legend CHARLES III D·G·REX. The reverse is Hahn's caribou with CANADA, 25 CENTS and 2023. Like other recent quarters, it is nickel-plated steel at 4.4 g and 23.88 mm. It is attracted to a magnet. Check the portrait first: a quarter showing a king is a Charles III coin, while a queen means an Elizabeth II coin. The legend makes it clear too, with REX for king in place of REGINA for queen. That one word is easy to read even on a scuffed coin. Wear on such a new coin is usually slight.
2023 Canadian Quarter by the numbers
By the numbers, the 2023 Canadian Quarter ranks 107th lowest of 147 Canadian quarter dates and varieties from 1870 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 1988 Canadian Quarter (80.4 million); the next more common is the 2024 Canadian Quarter (82.6 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2000 Canadian Quarter with 434.1 million, about 5.4 times as many. The scarcest is the 1889 Canadian Quarter with 66,324, 1214 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 2023 output was 1.1 times fewer than 2022 and about the same as 2024.
Over the 2020s the Mint produced 461.3 million quarters across 5 dates and varieties; the 2023 Canadian Quarter accounts for 17% of that.
What to check on your 2023 Canadian Quarter
- Try a magnet. Nickel-plated steel is magnetic, so a genuine 2023 coin sticks; a silver one would not.
- Never clean it. Rubbing or polishing leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
- Look for full luster and no scratches. Modern quarters only interest collectors in uncirculated condition or with a recognized variety.
With 80,510,000 struck, the 2023 Charles III quarter is a face value coin. Its appeal is as a first year coin of the new reign. Many people are putting one aside in bright condition, either from change or from a fresh bank roll. Uncirculated pieces from mint sets carry a small premium. Nothing about the coin is scarce, but it is a nice marker of a historic change. Damaged or heavily scratched coins are best spent. There is no premium for worn ones.
Charles III quarters, 2023 to 2024
Charles III became king on 8 September 2022 and the Royal Canadian Mint unveiled his Canadian portrait in November 2023. Designed by the Canadian artist Steven Rosati, it shows the king without a crown, with the legend CHARLES III D·G·REX. Coins carrying the new portrait began reaching circulation around the end of 2023. The caribou on the reverse is unchanged, still recognizably the design Emanuel Hahn created for George VI's coins in 1937.
Physically nothing changed. The quarter is still plated steel, 4.4 g and 23.88 mm, with the mint's logo on the obverse. Production was steady, with 80,510,000 quarters dated 2023 and 82,560,000 dated 2024, in line with other recent years. Quarters showing Elizabeth II remain legal tender and will circulate alongside the new ones for decades, so expect to see both portraits in your change for a long time.
For now the main pleasure is in noticing the change. A first year Charles III quarter is a nice thing to put aside in bright condition, especially one fresh from a bank roll, but with tens of millions struck every year these are face value coins. Keep an eye on the portrait as you sort change; a caribou with the king on the other side is the newest chapter in a design that has run for nearly ninety years.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 25 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 2023 |
| Circulation mintage | 80,510,000 |
| Composition | Nickel-plated steel |
| Weight | 4.4 g |
| Diameter | 23.88 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Frequently asked questions
When did Charles III appear on Canadian quarters?
His portrait by Steven Rosati was unveiled in November 2023 and coins carrying it began reaching circulation around the end of that year. Quarters dated 2023 with the king's portrait are the first of his reign.
Are Elizabeth II quarters still legal tender in Canada?
Yes. Quarters showing Queen Elizabeth II remain legal tender and keep circulating alongside the new Charles III coins. There is no need to exchange them and they will stay in change for many years.
Mintage figures: Quarter (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.