diff --git a/lib/OpenLayers/Projection.js b/lib/OpenLayers/Projection.js
index 7e652ba27d..7e42b8459b 100644
--- a/lib/OpenLayers/Projection.js
+++ b/lib/OpenLayers/Projection.js
@@ -101,6 +101,9 @@ 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 (window.Proj4js && this.proj.defData && p.proj.defData) {
                 equals = this.proj.defData.replace(this.titleRegEx, "") ==
                     p.proj.defData.replace(this.titleRegEx, "");
diff --git a/tests/Projection.html b/tests/Projection.html
index 6ef317dde2..bb458b6f17 100644
--- a/tests/Projection.html
+++ b/tests/Projection.html
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
      }
      
      function test_Projection_equals(t) {
-         t.plan(8);
+         t.plan(12);
          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);
@@ -57,6 +57,12 @@
          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;
          }