1911 Canadian Quarter
The 1911 Canadian Quarter is a Canadian quarter struck for circulation with 1.72 million made. Value band: metal value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1911
- Circulation mintage
- 1,721,341
- Value band
- Metal value
- Composition
- Sterling silver (92.5% silver, 7.5% 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 1911 Canadian Quarter worth?
The 1911 Canadian Quarter is a silver coin with 0.1728 troy ounces of pure silver, so its floor is its metal value: 0.1728 times the day's silver spot price. With 1.72 million made, worn examples trade for about their silver; collectors pay more for sharp, original coins and much more for uncirculated ones with full luster.
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 1911 Canadian Quarter rare?
- Not by mintage. 1.72 million were made, but it is silver, so even worn examples are worth their metal value rather than face value.
- How many 1911 Canadian quarters were made?
- 1,721,341 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1911 Canadian Quarter made of?
- Sterling silver (92.5% silver, 7.5% copper). It weighs 5.83 g and measures 23.62 mm.
- Is the 1911 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 1911 quarter in context
George V's first Canadian quarters are dated 1911 and they caused an uproar. The obverse legend read GEORGIVS V REX ET IND: IMP:, leaving out DEI GRA:, the abbreviation of Dei Gratia, meaning by the grace of God. Earlier Canadian coins had always included it. Newspapers called them the Godless coins and the complaints led the government to have the dies changed for 1912. Few changes to Canadian coins have come about so directly from public pressure.
That makes the 1911 a one-year type: the only Canadian quarter with the shortened legend. The mintage was a healthy 1,721,341, so the coin is not scarce in worn grades, but its story gives it steady demand. The same legend problem affected every Canadian denomination dated 1911, so some collectors look for the whole group. The 1911 is also the first quarter with Bertram Mackennal's portrait of the king, which stayed on the coin until 1936. Put a 1911 and a 1912 side by side and the whole episode is told in two coins.
How to recognize it
Mackennal's crowned and robed bust of George V faces left inside GEORGIVS V REX ET IND: IMP:. Look between the king's name and REX: on a 1911 nothing appears there, while from 1912 DEI GRA: sits in that space. The reverse has 25 CENTS, CANADA and 1911 in a maple wreath under a crown. It is struck in sterling silver, about 5.8 g, which works out to roughly 0.173 troy ounces of pure silver. On a worn coin the legend letters are often easier to read than the date, so the legend alone can identify a 1911 even when the last digits are faint. Weight and metal are the same for both years.
1911 Canadian Quarter by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 1911 Canadian Quarter ranks 46th lowest of 147 Canadian quarter dates and varieties from 1870 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 1874 H Canadian Quarter (1.6 million); the next more common is the 1920 Canadian Quarter (1.98 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2000 Canadian Quarter with 434.1 million, about 252 times as many. The scarcest is the 1889 Canadian Quarter with 66,324, 26 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1911 output was 2.1 times fewer than 1910 and 1.5 times fewer than 1912.
Over the 1910s the Mint produced 26.4 million quarters across 10 dates and varieties; the 1911 Canadian Quarter accounts for 6.5% of that.
What to check on your 1911 Canadian Quarter
- Check the date first: silver Canadian quarters carry dates from 1870 to 1968; this one has 0.1728 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 more than 1.7 million struck, the 1911 is available in worn condition and carries a premium above its silver for its one-year legend. Coins with clear crown detail and a sharp wreath draw more interest. It is a popular type coin, wanted by collectors who keep only one George V quarter as well as by date collectors. Avoid cleaned coins, which are common among old silver and much less wanted. Uncirculated 1911s with full luster are scarce and highly regarded.
George V sterling quarters, 1911 to 1919
George V's crowned and robed portrait by Bertram Mackennal first appeared on quarters dated 1911 and it started with an argument. The legend read GEORGIVS V REX ET IND: IMP:, leaving out DEI GRA:, the reference to ruling by the grace of God. Many Canadians were offended by what the press called Godless coins and from 1912 the dies were corrected to GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: REX ET IND: IMP:. The 1911 quarter is the only one with the short legend, which makes it simple to spot.
The coins stayed sterling silver, about 5.8 g with roughly 0.173 troy ounces of pure silver, all struck at the Ottawa branch of the Royal Mint. The First World War pushed demand up sharply. After a dip to 242,382 in 1915, the lowest figure of the sterling years, output climbed to 3,365,644 in 1917, 4,175,649 in 1918 and 5,852,262 in 1919. That 1919 run was the largest for any Canadian quarter up to then and the last in sterling, because the silver content was cut the following year.
For this group the questions are the date and the legend. A 1911 is a one-year type and draws steady interest; the 1915 is the scarce date and the one to set aside if you find it. The late war years are the commonest coins of the period and turn up in old accumulations. Wear hits the crown jewels, the king's beard and the high points of the wreath first. A quarter from these years with the sterling purity and a sharp crown is a nice coin to own even in a common date.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 25 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1911 |
| Circulation mintage | 1,721,341 |
| Composition | Sterling silver (92.5% silver, 7.5% copper) |
| Weight | 5.83 g |
| Diameter | 23.62 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Frequently asked questions
Why is the 1911 Canadian quarter called Godless?
Its legend left out DEI GRA:, short for Dei Gratia, by the grace of God, which had appeared on earlier Canadian coins. Public objections led to the phrase being restored on coins dated 1912.
Is the 1911 Canadian 25 cent coin rare?
Not especially. The mintage was 1,721,341, so worn coins are available. It is wanted because it is the only Canadian quarter with the short legend, which gives it more interest than most George V dates.
Mintage figures: Quarter (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.