In 1992, Canada issued a set of commemorative
25¢ coins to celebrate the 125th anniversary of
Confederation.
This was the forerunner of the U.S. Mint’s 50
State Quarters series!
There were 12
provinces and territories in 1992, and each was honored on its own
unique 25-cent coin.
(Nunavut is now a
separate territory but in 1992 it was part of the Northwest Territories,
so it is not included in the set.)
Each of the 12 coins in the set features a
different one-time-only design that symbolizes the history and culture
of the featured province or territory. All 12 coins were issued
in 1992 at the rate of one per month. The unique reverse
designs replaced the moose design in 1992.
Each coin
was minted for a limited edition of only one month.
Due to the small editions and the popularity
of the series, most coins disappeared from circulation by 1993.
The total mintage
of all 12 coins was about one-third of the average mintage for a single
U.S. State Quarter.
This was the most
popular and most successful coin program in Canada’s history.
The obverse of
each coin depicts a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. There
are 12 coins in the set. Each coin was struck in nickel.The collection comes in a custom display wallet with a
Certificate of Authenticity.