Canada 25 Cents Silver Coin 1948 King George VI
The quarter is a Canadian coin, valued at 25 cents or one-fourth of a Canadian dollar. It is a small, circular coin of silver colour. According to the Royal Canadian Mint, the official name for the coin is the 25-cent piece, but in practice it is simply called a quarter, much like its American counterpart.Obverse: The portrait in left profile of George VI is surrounded with the inscription "GEORGIVS VI DEI GRATIA REX" (George VI, King by the grace of God).
1948 to 1952 INSCRIPTIONS: When the new designs arrived in 1948 with "IND IMP" (India's Emperor) removed, the entire inscriptions now reads "GEORGIVS VI DIE GRATIA REX". This inscription was used until 1952.
Lettering: GEORGIVS VI DEI GRATIA REX HP
Engraver: Thomas Humphrey Paget
In an attempt to improve the appearance of the obverse on this coin, a slightly larger, lower relief portrait was developed and used on the coins from 1951-1952. The two varieties, High Relief (HR) and Low Relief (LR) can be distinguished by looking at where the 'A' in 'GRATIA' points:
HR: 'A' points to a denticle
LR: 'A' points between two denticles
Recently, the LR for 1951 has been found to have only been issued for Prooflike coins and NOT for circulation ones.
Reverse: A caribou is accompanied with the facial value and surrounded with the inscription "CANADA".
Lettering: CANADA 1948 25 Cents H
Engraver: Emanuel Hahn
Edge: Reeded
The caribou on a 25-cent piece dates back to 1936 when a change in the sovereign's image on circulation currency prompted the Canadian government to modify the designs on the reverse side of coins as well. The caribou design was created by Canadian artist Emanuel Hahn and was first used in 1937. It has been temporarily replaced through the years - in 1967 for the Canadian centennial, in 1973 to celebrate the centennial of the North West Mounted Police, in 1992 for Canada's 125th birthday, in 1999 and 2000 by the winning designs of the Millennium coin program, and in 2002 for a special Canada Day design.
Notice that the Bluenose was also considered for the 25 cents coin. It was finally chosen for the 10 cents.
Years: 1948-1952
Value: 25 Cents
Composition: 80% silver, 20% copper
Weight: 5.83 g
Diameter: 23.62 mm
Shape: Round
Mintages: 1948 - 2,564,424
Canadian Coins - King George VI
Canadian 25 Cent Coin 1948 Caribou Canadian 10 Cent Coin 1948 Bluenose
Canadian 5 Cents 1945 Victory Canadian 5 Cent Coin 1948 Beaver
Canadian 5 Cents 1945 Victory Canadian 5 Cent Coin 1948 Beaver