diff --git a/lib/OpenLayers/Projection.js b/lib/OpenLayers/Projection.js
index 97eb2f63ba..f30f679081 100644
--- a/lib/OpenLayers/Projection.js
+++ b/lib/OpenLayers/Projection.js
@@ -101,8 +101,8 @@ OpenLayers.Projection = OpenLayers.Class({
     equals: function(projection) {
         var p = projection, equals = false;
         if (p) {
-            if (!(projection instanceof OpenLayers.Projection)) {
-                projection = new OpenLayers.Projection(projection);
+            if (!(p instanceof OpenLayers.Projection)) {
+                p = new OpenLayers.Projection(p);
             }
             if (window.Proj4js && this.proj.defData && p.proj.defData) {
                 equals = this.proj.defData.replace(this.titleRegEx, "") ==
diff --git a/tests/Projection.html b/tests/Projection.html
index bb458b6f17..236871ab76 100644
--- a/tests/Projection.html
+++ b/tests/Projection.html
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
      }
      
      function test_Projection_equals(t) {
-         t.plan(12);
+         t.plan(8);
          var origTransforms = OpenLayers.Util.extend({}, OpenLayers.Projection.transforms);
          OpenLayers.Projection.addTransform("EPSG:4326", "FOO", OpenLayers.Projection.nullTransform);
          OpenLayers.Projection.addTransform("FOO", "EPSG:4326", OpenLayers.Projection.nullTransform);
@@ -57,16 +57,27 @@
          t.eq(proj1.equals(proj4), true, "EPSG:4326 and EPSG:4326 are equal with proj4js");
          t.eq(proj2.equals(proj5), false, "Projection.equals() returns false for unknown projections with proj4js");
          
-         // allow comparison with identifier
-         t.eq(proj1.equals("EPSG:4326"), true, "EPSG:4326 equality with string");
-         t.eq(proj1.equals("EPSG:4327"), false, "EPSG:4326 inequality with string");
-         t.eq(proj1.equals("EPSG:900913"), true, "EPSG:900913 equality with string");
-         t.eq(proj1.equals("EPSG:900914"), false, "EPSG:900913 inequality with string");
-         
          if (!hasProj) {
              window.Proj4js = undefined;
          }
-         
+
+    }
+    
+    function test_equals_string(t) {
+
+        t.plan(7);
+        var gg = new OpenLayers.Projection("EPSG:4326");
+        var sm = new OpenLayers.Projection("EPSG:900913");
+
+        // allow comparison with identifier
+        t.eq(gg.equals("EPSG:4326"), true, "EPSG:4326 equality with string");
+        t.eq(gg.equals("EPSG:4327"), false, "EPSG:4326 inequality with string");
+        t.eq(sm.equals("EPSG:900913"), true, "EPSG:900913 equality with string");
+        t.eq(sm.equals("EPSG:900914"), false, "EPSG:900913 inequality with string");
+        t.eq(sm.equals("EPSG:3857"), true, "EPSG:900913 equality with EPSG:3857");
+        t.eq(sm.equals("EPSG:102113"), true, "EPSG:900913 equality with EPSG:102113");
+        t.eq(sm.equals("EPSG:102100"), true, "EPSG:900913 equality with EPSG:102100");
+
      }
        
     </script>