1947 Canadian Quarter
The 1947 Canadian Quarter is a Canadian quarter struck for circulation with 1.52 million made. Value band: metal value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1947
- Circulation mintage
- 1,524,554
- Value band
- Metal value
- 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 1947 Canadian Quarter worth?
The 1947 Canadian Quarter is a silver coin with 0.15 troy ounces of pure silver, so its floor is its metal value: 0.15 times the day's silver spot price. With 1.52 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 1947 Canadian Quarter rare?
- Not by mintage. 1.52 million were made, but it is silver, so even worn examples are worth their metal value rather than face value.
- How many 1947 Canadian quarters were made?
- 1,524,554 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1947 Canadian Quarter made of?
- 80% silver, 20% copper. It weighs 5.83 g and measures 23.62 mm.
- Is the 1947 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 1947 quarter in context
The plain 1947 quarter belongs to the last months of the old legend. India became independent in August 1947 and George VI ceased to be Emperor of India, but quarters struck during 1947 still read GEORGIVS VI D:G: REX ET IND: IMP:. The mint struck 1,524,554 of these, the lowest George VI quarter mintage. The plain 1947 also closes the first, imperial form of the king's Canadian legend. Production of 1946 had also been modest, so the late 1940s are the leanest years of the caribou's first decade.
What makes 1947 confusing is that a second kind of 1947 quarter exists, with a small maple leaf after the date, struck in 1948 while new dies were prepared. More of those were made than plain ones, 4,393,938 against 1,524,554. So the coin without the leaf, the ordinary looking one, is the scarcer of the pair. Many people assume the opposite and set aside only the leaf coins, so a plain 1947 deserves its own spot in any George VI collection. It deserves a careful look.
How to recognize it
Paget's bare-headed portrait of George VI faces left with GEORGIVS VI D:G: REX ET IND: IMP:. The reverse is Hahn's caribou, with CANADA, 25 CENTS and 1947. Look closely just after the date: on the plain coin the space after the 7 is empty. If there is a small leaf there, you have the maple leaf variety instead. Both kinds share the same legend, so the leaf is the only difference. Like other George VI quarters, it is 80 percent silver at 5.83 g and 23.62 mm, about 0.15 troy ounces of pure silver. The king's hair above the ear and the tip of the caribou's nose are the first details to wear.
1947 Canadian Quarter by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 1947 Canadian Quarter ranks 44th lowest of 147 Canadian quarter dates and varieties from 1870 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 1916 Canadian Quarter (1.46 million); the next more common is the 1874 H Canadian Quarter (1.6 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2000 Canadian Quarter with 434.1 million, about 285 times as many. The scarcest is the 1889 Canadian Quarter with 66,324, 23 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1947 output was 1.5 times fewer than 1946 and 1.7 times fewer than 1948. Other 1947 quarters: 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian Quarter (4.39 million).
Over the 1940s the Mint produced 67.9 million quarters across 11 dates and varieties; the 1947 Canadian Quarter accounts for 2.2% of that.
What to check on your 1947 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 1,524,554 struck, the plain 1947 is the scarcest regular George VI quarter by mintage and carries a premium over silver in all grades, more so in uncirculated condition. Collectors usually want both 1947s together. Coins with sharp antlers and a clean field around the date are the ones to look for. Check for cleaning and damage, which reduce interest in both versions. Uncirculated plain 1947s are scarce, so a bright one is a real find. Store it away from damp.
George VI caribou quarters, 1937 to 1952
The coins of 1937 changed the look of Canadian money. Instead of crowns and wreaths, the new reverses showed Canadian subjects and the quarter got a woodland caribou's head by the sculptor Emanuel Hahn. The obverse carries Thomas Humphrey Paget's bare-headed portrait of George VI with the legend GEORGIVS VI D:G: REX ET IND: IMP:. The coin stayed at 80 percent silver, 5.83 g and 23.62 mm, with about 0.15 troy ounces of pure silver. The caribou has been the regular quarter's reverse ever since.
The Second World War brought record demand, with 13,559,575 quarters dated 1943. India's independence in 1947 then forced a change to the legend, because the king was no longer Emperor of India. New dies without ET IND: IMP: were not ready at the start of 1948, so the mint kept striking 1947 dated coins and marked them with a small maple leaf after the date. Quarters with the new legend, GEORGIVS VI DEI GRATIA REX, are dated 1948 to 1952.
The dates to look for in this group are 1946, 1947 and 1948, which all have mintages between about 1.5 and 2.6 million. Add the 1947 maple leaf, the best known variety of the reign. Compare the legend with the date: a quarter showing ET IND: IMP: should be dated 1947 or earlier. George VI died in February 1952, but quarters dated 1952 still carry his portrait. Wear shows on the king's hair above the ear and on the caribou's nose and the fur of its neck.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 25 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1947 |
| Circulation mintage | 1,524,554 |
| Composition | 80% silver, 20% copper |
| Weight | 5.83 g |
| Diameter | 23.62 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Other 1947 Canadian quarters
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian Quarter | 4,393,938 | Metal value |
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1947 Canadian quarter without a maple leaf rarer?
By mintage, yes. The plain 1947 had 1,524,554 struck, while the maple leaf version, made in 1948, had 4,393,938. The plain coin is the lowest George VI quarter mintage. It is the scarcer coin.
Why does the 1947 quarter still say IND: IMP:?
India became independent in August 1947, but the dies in use that year still carried the old legend. Quarters with the shortened legend, without ET IND: IMP:, did not appear until 1948.
Mintage figures: Quarter (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.