1973 Small Bust Canada Quarter

Have a Canadian quarter and want to know its value? Leave a comment

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.

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.

1973 Canadian Quarter

Do you have a Canadian coin 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.

Featured Question from Kristie...

I Have 36 RCMP Centennial coins.
I know the large bust is worth considerably more, but I am not sure If I have large, small or some of each. They Vary in grades.
I would like to know how to tell the difference between a small bust and a large bust. 2 pictures to compare would be nice. TY!

Good question and I assumed it was a 1973 quarter from Canada as this is the only RCMP I know that had this variety. This happened because a new obverse design was introduced in 1973 but some of that year's coins were already made in late 1972 using the old design. Less than 10,000 are thought to exist.


Click on the image for a close-up comparison of my small bust in between the two varieties.
Middle-Click to open in a new window/new tab.

Here was my response..
A picture comparison would may not be completely helpful, but I will post one on the front page of my blog. From a book because I don't own a large bust.

The Small Bust has a more detailed bust and only 120 beads around the bust. These beads are slightly far from the rim.
The Large Bust is less detailed and has 132 beads around the bust. The beads are almost touching the rim.

Here's the stats for each variety...
Type / Country: 25 Cents / Canada
Variety: LB=Large Bust=132 Beads
Year: 1973
Mintage: Less than 10,000
Metal: 100% Nickel
Value: $100.00 in VF-20


Type / Country: 25 Cents / Canada
Variety: SB=Small Bust=120 Beads
Year: 1973
Mintage: 135,958,589 including above
Metal: 100% Nickel
Value: $0.25 in VF-20

Of course the higher the grade the more it will be worth.

If you have the patience you can count the beads which is the best way to do it.

Do you have a Canadian coin 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.