For the centennial of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Canada they decide to make a commemorative quarter. Not satisfied with just a new reverse but they also made a new portrait of the Queen. The former bust of Queen Elizabeth II was made smaller the beads on the border were made bigger.
So how can you tell if your 1973 Canadian quarter is the common small bust or the rare large bust?
Well you can count the beads around the queen. Small bust has 120 beads and large bust has 132. If you do this I suggest taking a clear picture and use some kind of picture editor and just cross-out each bead as you count.
Another way is look at the space between the bead and the rim. If you imagine fitting another bead in that empty space then you have a small bust. If no extra bead can fit in that space then you have a large bust, again photo editing software may help. Look at the example below.
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| Altered image showing the space between the rim and beads is large enough to place another bead. This is the common small bust. |
The final way is just by eye. 1965-1972 were all large bust and again in 1974-1978 were also large bust. Compare these years to 1973 quarters and if the obverse looks the same then you have the rare large bust for 1973. Remember that all those other years were large bust and no small bust were used outside of RCMP quarter.
Here's the stats for each variety...
Type / Country: 25 Cents / Canada
Variety: SB=Small Bust=120 Beads
Year: 1973
Mintage: 135,958,589 including estimated 10,000 Large Bust
Metal: 100% Nickel
Value: $0.25 in VF-20
Do you have a Canadian quarter and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.
2 dollars worth, for Comments/Questions click here.:
Umm so how much is it worth for a large bust
I have 3 of them do i need to get appraised..
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