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Quarter (Canadian coin)

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For commemorative currency of the same denomination, see Quarter (Canadian commemorative coin).

Quarter
Canada
Value0.25 Canadian dollar
Mass4.4 g
Diameter23.88 mm
Thickness1.58 mm
EdgeMilled
CompositionNickel-plated steel
94% steel,
3.8% Cu,
2.2% Ni plating
Years of minting1870–present
Obverse
DesignCharles III, King of Canada
DesignerMartin Jennings
Design date2023
Reverse
DesignCaribou
DesignerEmmanuel Hahn
Design date1937

The quarter, short for quarter dollar, is a Canadian coin worth 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 usually called a "quarter", much like its American counterpart. In Canadian French, it is called a caribou. The coin is produced at the mint's facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

History

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Early coinage (1870–1910)

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The first coinage minted for what would later become the Canadian Confederation originated in legislation enacted in 1853. Per the Act 16 Vict. c. 158, the Province of Canada was to issue "dollars, cents, and mills" that would co-circulate with English shillings and pence.[1] While bronze and silver coins were initially struck at the Royal Mint in 1858, these only included currency up to twenty-cents.[1] When the first coinage for the Dominion of Canada was struck in 1870, only silver coins were issued which included a twenty-five cent piece in substitution for the twenty-cent coin.[1] This denomination change brought the new monetary system which was based on the United States gold dollar concurrently with the British sovereign into conformity with the United States quarter.[1] In a related event, the Canadian government also issued twenty-five cent notes to provide the country with fractional currency. By doing so, this relieved the "strain consequent" upon the removal from circulation of United States silver."[2]

Canadian quarters initially weighed 89.66 grains and were roughly 24 mm in diameter with a plain edge.[1][3] The obverse features a portrait of Queen Victoria (designed by Leonard C. Wyon) wearing a tiara, while the reverse has the denomination and date under a crown within a wreath.[4] Public opinion of this new coin was positive as the American Journal of Numismatics and "Bulletin of American Numismatic and Archæological Societies" noted that the quarter was considered "more convenient than the old twenty cent piece".[3] In 1871, two varieties of quarters co-circulated; those without a mintmark were made by The Royal Mint, while "H" marked coins were made in Birmingham, England, by Ralph Heaton & Sons.[3] The latter of the two continued to mint only "H" marked quarters for 1872.[5] No quarters were struck by the Royal Mint or Heaton for Canada in 1873 as there was an increased demand for "Imperial coinage".[6] Ralph Heaton continued to mint quarters for Canada afterward from 1874 to 1883.[5] There was a four year hiatus during this period as the coins were transitioned from a plan to milled edge.

Enlargements to the facilities at the Royal Mint were completed in 1883, which meant they could handle Canadian coin production.[7] Quarters that date from 1884 to 1889 were all struck at the Royal Mint in London before Heaton was called for again.[5][7] The "Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Montreal" commented in their entry for 1890 that this choice indicated that there was a rush of business at the Royal Mint that year.[7] Coinage returned to the Royal Mint in 1891 and Canadian quarters were struck there through the remainder of Queen Victoria's reign.[5] When Edward VII ascended to the throne in 1901 a new obverse portrait for the quarter was used. British medalist George William de Saulles designed a right-facing bust of the King surrounded by the words "Edwardus VII Dei gratia Rex Imperator". Canadian quarters continued to be struck in England until 1907 with the opening of the Ottawa Mint.[5] When Edward VII died in 1910 a controversy arose in the following year with a new portrait design for George V.

Georgian coinage (1911–1952)

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King George V's portrait was designed by Australian sculptor and medalist Bertram Mackennal with the words "Georgius V Rex et Ind:Imp:"; however, this was criticized by the public as the decision to omit "Dei gratia" (by the grace of God) was called "godless" and "graceless".[8][9] As a result the words Dei gra were added into the design the following year. On May 11, 1920 a new coinage act was put into place that affected the amount of silver in the quarter. While the previous "British standard" fineness of .925 silver (sterling) was reduced to .800, the weight and diameter of the quarter remained the same.[10][11] This act was put into place as the price of silver had risen due to the aftermath of World War I.[12][13] No quarters were minted between 1921 and 1927 as the rising price of silver made them unprofitable. When quarter production resumed in 1927, the Royal Canadian Mint initially planned to strike commemorative coins to celebrate Canada's 60th anniversary. Although a winning design was chosen for the quarter, it was never used as the plan was scrapped.[14]

No more proposed changes to the quarter were made during the remaining years of King George V's reign. When he died in January 1936 his son Edward VIII assumed the throne, but soon abdicated in December 1936. After his brother George VI assumed the throne on December 11, 1936, a new effigy was needed for Canadian coinage. As it was late in the year, the Royal Mint could not immediately make coins with a die depicting the new king with a 1937 date. It was instead decided by the mint to continue minting 1936 dated quarters with a dot added below the date on the reverse which signified that they were made in 1937.[13] The new effigy of George VI was designed by Humphrey Paget and was ready for use later in the year. The king is shown on the obverse side facing left, with the inscription "Georgius VI D:G: Rex Et Ind:Imp:".[15] During this time new reverse designs were also planned for circulating denominations below fifty-cents. Initial proposals included a caribou design for the five-cent coin, a beaver design for the ten-cent coin, and the Bluenose for the twenty-five-cent coin.[14] After some debate the head of a caribou was designed by Canadian sculptor Emanuel Hahn for the quarter.[16]

India's declaration of independence in 1947 affected the quarter, as the words Ind:Imp: (Emperor of India) had to be removed from the obverse of the coin. This change was made under article 7.2 of the Parliament of the United Kingdom's Indian Independence Act 1947.[17] As the dies omitting the title were not immediately ready for use, a small maple leaf was added next to the 1947 dated coins on the reverse for quarters minted into 1948.[18] King George VI died in 1952, and a new obverse effigy featuring Queen Elizabeth II appeared in the following year.

Elizabeth II (1953–2022)

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The first effigy of Queen Elizabeth II was designed by sculptor and medalist Mary Gillick, who chose to depict the queen at 27 years old facing right. As with the previous monarchs, her effigy is surrounded with Latin text which reads "Elizabeth II Dei Gratia Regina" (Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen).[19] For Canadian coinage, this marked the first time that master dies were made at the Royal Canadian Mint.[20] During production the diameter of the quarter was raised this year from 23.6 to 23.9 mm.[10][a] For reasons unknown, these were also struck in two major varieties "with and without a fold of fabric" (aka strap) on the new effigy.[21]


  • The lowest mintage of any circulated quarter post–World War II was in 1991; low mintage was attributed to a work stoppage and using up stock in preparation for the release of the commemorative quarters the following year. The total mintage was 459,000, including collector sets and proofs.[22]

Composition and size

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Years Mass Diameter Composition[23]
1870–1910 5.81 g 23.62 mm 92.5% silver, 7.5% copper
1910–1919 5.83 g 23.62 mm 92.5% silver, 7.5% copper
1920–1952 5.83 g 23.62 mm 80% silver, 20% copper
1953–1967 5.83 g 23.88 mm 80% silver, 20% copper
1967–1968 5.05 g 23.88 mm 50% silver, 50% copper
1968–2001 5.05 g 23.88 mm 99.9% nickel
2001–present 4.40 g 23.88 mm 94.0% steel (AISI 1006 alloy[24]), 3.8% copper, 2.2% nickel plating

Circulation figures

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Victoria & Edward VII

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Year Mintage[b]
1870 900,000[4]
1871 400,000[4]
1871 H[c] 748,000[4]
1872 H 2,240,000[4]
1874 H 1,600,000[4]
1875 H 1,000,000[4]
1880 H 400,000[4]
1881 H 820,000[4]
1882 H 600,000[4]
1883 H 960,000[4]
1885 192,000[4]
1886 540,000[4]
1887 100,000[4]
1888 400,000[4]
1889 66,324[4]
1890 H 200,000[4]
1891 120,000[4]
1892 510,000[4]
1893 100,000[4]
1894 220,000[4]
1899 415,580[4]
1900 1,320,000[4]
1901 Victoria 640,000[4]
1902 Edward VII 464,000[25]
1902 H 800,000[25]
1903 846,150[25]
1904 400,000[25]
1905 800,000[25]
1906 1,237,843[25]
1907 2,088,000[25]
1908 495,016[25]
1909 1,335,929[25]
1910 3,577,569[26]

George V & George VI

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A 1917 quarter featuring King George V
Year Mintage
1911 – No "Dei gratia"[d] 1,721,341[28]
1912 – With "Dei gra." 2,544,199[29]
1913 2,213,595[29]
1914 1,215,397[29]
1915 242,382[29]
1916 1,462,566[29]
1917 3,365,644[29]
1918 4,175,649[29]
1919 5,852,262[29]
1920 1,975,278[30]
1921 597,337[30]
1927 468,096[30]
1928 2,114,178[30]
1929 2,690,562[30]
1930 968,748[30]
1931 537,815[30]
1932 537,994[30]
1933 421,282[30]
1934 384,350[30]
1935 537,772[30]
1936 George V 972,094[30]
1936 George V (dot)[e] 153,322[30]
1937 George VI 2,689,813[31]
1938 3,149,245[31]
1939 3,532,495[31]
1940 9,583,650[31]
1941 6,654,672[31]
1942 6,935,871[31]
1943 13,559,575[31]
1944 7,216,237[31]
1945 5,296,495[31]
1946 2,210,810[31]
1947[f] 1,524,554[31]
1947 ML[f] 4,393,938[31]
1948 2,564,424[32]
1949 7,988,630[32]
1950 9,673,335[32]
1951 8,290,710[32]
1952 8,859,642[32]

Elizabeth II

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Canadian Centennial quarter
Year Mintage[g] Notes
1953 No strap 10,546,769[33] These varieties are also referred to as "with" and "without shoulder fold".
1953 Strap
1954 2,318,891[33]
1955 9,552,505[33]
1956 11,269,353[33]
1957 12,770,190[33]
1958 9,336,910[33]
1959 13,503,461[33]
1960 22,835,327[33]
1961 18,164,368[33]
1962 29,559,266[33]
1963 21,180,652[33]
1964 36,479,343[33] 1st obverse portrait
1965 44,708,869[34] 2nd obverse portrait
1966 25,626,315[34]
1967 80% silver 48,855,500[35] These quarters feature a Canadian Lynx on the reverse, and are dated 1867-1967. The mintage figure includes both 80% and 50% silver coins.
1967 50% silver
1968 50% silver 71,464,000[36]
1968 nickel 88,686,931[37]
1969 133,037,929[37]
1970 10,302,010[37]
1971 48,170,428[37]
1972 43,743,387[37]
1973 Large bust 134,958,587[38] Quarters dated 1973 have "large" and "small" bust varieties of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse, while the reverse depicts a mounted RCMP officer.
1973 Small bust
1974 192,360,598[37]
1975 141,148,000[37]
1976 86,898,261[37]
1977 99,634,555[37]
1978 176,475,408[37]
1979 131,042,905[39]
1980 76,178,000[39]
1981 131,580,272[39]
1982 171,926,000[39]
1983 13,162,000[39]
1984 121,668,000[39]
1985 158,734,000[39]
1986 132,220,000[39]
1987 53,408,000[39]
1988 80,368,473[39]
1989 119,796,307[39] 2nd obverse portrait
1990 31,258,000[40] 3rd obverse portrait
1991 459,000[40]
1992 — To celebrate the 125th anniversary of Confederation, the Royal Canadian Mint released twelve commemorative coins.
1993 73,758,000[40]
1994 77,670,000[40]
1995 89,210,000[40]
1996 28,106,000[40]
1997 Not circulated
1998 Not circulated
1999 Caribou 258,888,000[40] An estimated 20,000 quarters are dated 1999 (P).[41]
2000 Caribou 434,087,000[40] Only 3 to 5 2000 (P) quarters are known.[41]
2001 Caribou 8,415,000[40] Struck in nickel.
2001 P 55,773,000[41] Struck in nickel-plated steel (P).
2002 P 156,105,000[41]
2002 P (GJ) 152,485,000[42] (1952 - 2002) Elizabeth II Golden Jubliee
2003 P Crowned 87,647,000[41] Crowned 3rd obverse portrait
2003 P Uncrowned 66,861,633[43] Uncrowned 4th obverse portrait
2004 P 177,466,000[43]
2005 P 206,346,000[43]
2006 P 423,189,000[43]
2007 386,763,000[43] The nickel-plated steel "P" mark (below bust on obverse) was dropped and replaced by an RCM logo.
2008 387,222,000[43]
2009 266,766,000[43]
2010 167,500,000[44]
2011 212,970,000[44]
2012 178,450,000[44]
2013 118,480,000[44]
2014 97,440,000[44]
2015 97,320,000[44]
2016 106,880,000[44]
2017 Caribou 110,720,000[45]
2018 102,560,000[44]
2019 80,160,000[44]
2020 96,000,000[44]
2021 110,560,000[46]
2022 91,680,000[47]

Charles III

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Year Mintage
2023 80,510,000[48]
2024 TBA
2025 TBA

Collecting

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  • The 1906 Small Crown is valued in the thousands of dollars even for very poor conditions.
  • 1936 marked two valuable variations, the Bar and the Dot, both trend for over $1,000 in uncirculated condition.
  • The 1951 Low Relief was predominantly only made available in proof-like sets and has a mintage of around 500.
  • The 1973 Large Bust is among the most desired Canadian quarters. They sell for around $300 in Proof Like or Specimen condition and can sell in the thousands for high-end circulation strikes.
  • The 1991 quarter had a low mintage, of 459,000
  • The 1992 New Brunswick quarter has several rotated die versions, with the 180-degree rotation selling for between $100 and $200 in uncirculated condition.
  • 1999 featured mule versions of the September and November quarters. These coins do not have the 25 CENTS mark on them, making them legal tender without face value. Either usually sells for over $10 depending on the condition of the coin. The Royal Canadian Mint estimates a combined mintage of 10,000 to 50,000 of the September and November mules.
  • The 2000 Millennium Map mule. Highly sought after by collectors, this is a modern rarity with about 100 known examples, as referenced in population reports of coin certification services (ICCS, CCCS, PCGS, NGC).
  • 2000P Caribou: two examples are known to exist. They fetch $40,000 or more (ICCS has graded both in MS-64: ICCS 2010 Population report). Both are in private collections.
  • 2000P Creativity: two are known to exist. They fetch $15,000 to $20,000 (ICCS has graded one in MS-62 and the other in MS-66: ICCS 2010 Population report).
  • 2000P Community: five are known to exist. They fetch $12,000 to $15,000 (ICCS has graded one in MS-60, two in MS-62, and two in MS-63: ICCS 2010 Population report).

Notes

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  1. ^ These numbers are rounded.
  2. ^ These figures include the 1872: inverted "A" for "V" in Victoria, the 1880: "narrow" and "wide" 0, and 1906: "large" and rare "small" crown varieties.
  3. ^ The "H" on the coin refers to "Ralph Heaton & Sons".
  4. ^ The words "Dei gratia" were removed from the obverse of the coin to make room for "Ind:Imp:" (Emperor of India). It was restored in 1912 after public backlash.[27]
  5. ^ This coin has a "dot" below the wreath on the reverse.
  6. ^ a b Three different varieties were created during this year. There are 1947 dated quarters, 1947 dated quarters with a "dot after 7" (in 1947), and those with a maple leaf after the "7". Maple leaf coins omit "IND: IMP:" aka Indiae Imperator (Emperor of India) on the obverse.
  7. ^ Unless mentioned otherwise, all of these quarters feature a Caribou on the reverse.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e William John Hocking (1906). Catalogue of the Coins, Tokens, Medals, Dies, and Seals in the Museum of the Royal Mint. Vol. 1. H.M. Stationery Office. pp. 305–306.
  2. ^ Special Consular Reports. Vol. 13. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1896. p. 37.
  3. ^ a b c American Journal of Numismatics, and Bulletin of American Numismatic and Archæological Societies. Vol. 17–19. T.R. Marvin & Son. 1883. p. 55.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "Canada 25 Cents KM# 5 1870". Numismatic Guaranty Company. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e Journal of the Canadian Bankers' Association. Vol. 25. Canadian Bankers Association. 1918. p. 112-113.
  6. ^ Deputy Master of the Mint (1871). First Annual Report. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 9.
  7. ^ a b c Mott, H.; McLachlan, R. W.; de Lery MacDonald, A. C. (1889). The Canadian Antiquarian and Numismatic Journal. Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Montreal. pp. 146–151.
  8. ^ Theodore V. Buttrey (1973). Coinage of the Americas. American Numismatic Society. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-7837-6999-8. A public outcry against these "Godless" coins resulted and from 1912 coins bear a legend containing an abbreviated form of the phrase
  9. ^ American Numismatic Association (1911). The Numismatist. Vol. 24. Hurley Prontery. p. 200.
  10. ^ a b Annual Report of the Director of the Mint. United States Mint. 1969. p. W18.
  11. ^ Trade Promotion Series. Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce. 1935. p. 34.
  12. ^ T.A. Ingram M.A., L.L.D. (1921). The New Hazell Annual & Almanack. Vol. 36. Oxford University Press. p. 105.
  13. ^ a b Arlyn G. Sieber (2011). Warman's Coins & Paper Money Identification and Price Guide. F+W Media. p. 1997-1998. ISBN 978-1-4402-1730-2.
  14. ^ a b Striking Impressions, James A. Haxby, 1983, ISBN 0-660-91234-1
  15. ^ The Numismatist. Vol. 106. American Numismatic Association. 1993. ...dating from 1937 to 1952. Designer T. Humphrey Paget's initials, H.P., are...
  16. ^ Rapport Du Directeur de la Monnaie Royale Canadienne. Royal Canadian Mint. 1937. p. 6. It was finally decided to commission Mr. Emanuel Hahn, R.C.A., of Toronto to prepare the models for the 25-cent and 10-cent pieces with a caribou head and...
  17. ^ "Indian Independence Act, 1947" (PDF). Parliament of the United Kingdom. The assent of the Parliament of the United Kingdom is hereby given to the omission from the Royal Style and Titles of the words " Indiae Imperator " and the words " Emperor of India " and to the issue by His Majesty for that purpose of His Royal Proclamation under the Great Seal of the Realm.
  18. ^ Report of the Master of the Royal Canadian Mint. Department of Finance Canada. 1948. p. 6–7.
  19. ^ "Faces of the Monarch on Coins". Royal Canadian Mint}. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  20. ^ Hudgeons, Marc; Hudgeons (Jr.), Tom; Hudgeons, Thomas E. (2007). The Official Blackbook Price Guide to World Coins 2008. Random House. p. 291. ISBN 978-0-375-72169-4.
  21. ^ The Numismatist. Vol. 106. American Numismatic Association. 1993. p. 1132. With the coins of 1953–55 came two new varieties: with and without a fold of fabric (mistakenly called a strap) on Queen Elizabeth's right shoulder.
  22. ^ Charlton Standard of Canadian Coins, p.128
  23. ^ "A familiar face – the 25-cent coin". Royal Canadian Mint. Archived from the original on April 4, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  24. ^ "Control of electromagnetic signals of coins through multi-ply plating technology". Google Patents. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  25. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Canada 25 Cents KM# 11 1902 (no mint mark)". Numismatic Guaranty Company. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  26. ^ "Canada 25 Cents KM# 11a 1910 (no mint mark)". Numismatic Guaranty Company. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  27. ^ "Canadian Coin News". Canadian Coin News. Archived from the original on April 19, 2017. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  28. ^ "Canada 25 Cents KM# 18 1911 (no mint mark)". Numismatic Guaranty Company. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  29. ^ a b c d e f g h "Canada 25 Cents KM# 24 1912 (no mint mark)". Numismatic Guaranty Company. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  30. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Canada 25 Cents KM# 24a 1920 (no mint mark)". Numismatic Guaranty Company. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  31. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Canada 25 Cents KM# 35 1937 (no mint mark)". Numismatic Guaranty Company. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  32. ^ a b c d e "Canada 25 Cents KM# 44 1948 (no mint mark)". Numismatic Guaranty Company. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  33. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Canada 25 Cents KM# 52 1953(no mint mark) Without strap". Numismatic Guaranty Company. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  34. ^ a b "Canada 25 Cents KM# 62 1965(no mint mark)". Numismatic Guaranty Company. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  35. ^ Michael, Thomas, ed. (July 29, 2016). 2017 Standard Catalog of World Coins 1901-2000 (44th ed.). Krause Publications. pp. 315–320. ISBN 978-1440246548.
  36. ^ "Canada 25 Cents KM# 62a 1968(no mint mark)". Numismatic Guaranty Company. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  37. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Canada 25 Cents KM# 62b 1968(no mint mark)". Numismatic Guaranty Company. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  38. ^ "Canada 25 Cents KM# 81.1 1873-1973(no mint mark)". Numismatic Guaranty Company. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  39. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Canada 25 Cents KM# 74 1979(no mint mark)". Numismatic Guaranty Company. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  40. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Canada 25 Cents KM# 184 1990(no mint mark)". Numismatic Guaranty Company. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  41. ^ a b c d e "Canada 25 Cents KM# 184b 1999(no mint mark) P". Numismatic Guaranty Company. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  42. ^ "Canada 25 Cents KM# 448 1952-2002P". Numismatic Guaranty Company. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  43. ^ a b c d e f g "Canada 25 Cents KM# 493 2003P". Numismatic Guaranty Company. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  44. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "RCM Mintages 2010 – 2020". Royal Canadian Mint. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  45. ^ Royal Canadian Mint (2017). 2017 Annual Report – Delivering Results (PDF) (Report). p. 86. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  46. ^ "Royal Canadian Mint Annual Report: 2021" (PDF). Royal Canadian Mint. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  47. ^ "Royal Canadian Mint Annual Report: 2022" (PDF). Royal Canadian Mint. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  48. ^ "Royal Canadian Mint Annual Report: 2023" (PDF). Royal Canadian Mint. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
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