Collecting coins has existed for as long as coins themselves have been around. As a hobby, coin collecting is both fun and profitable as some rare coins can exponentially exceed their face value over time. When it comes to coin collecting, many collectors choose to focus on one specific kind of coin (i.e. penny, dime, half dollar). One popular choice for targeted coin collecting is the U.S. quarter. This is because the rich history of this denomination leaves many different paths of collection available.
This buying guide is designed to educate beginning quarters collectors on the ins and outs of quarters buying. It will do this by reviewing the history of the U.S. quarter dollar coin and its many incarnations as well as the variations that can make an ordinary quarter or any coin a valuable collectible. In addition, this guide will review the places where interested collectors can buy quarters.
Why People Collect Quarters
Choosing to collect quarters can happen at any point in a person’s life. For children just learning to count, a family quarter collection offers the perfect opportunity to share a hobby across the generations with the added benefit of a learning about money. Most quarters collectors are hobbyists who engage in the collection, purchase, and trading of coins for the sheer joy and challenge of the endeavor. This can lead to the more serious study of numismatics, which also includes a larger study of currency across time and cultures along with its collection.
Collecting quarters can also be an investment. For some, the study and focus of coin collecting is not only based on the variances of currency, but the relative availability of the rare coins they covet; the rarer the coin, the greater its value.
The History of Quarters
Coin collecting is a vast enterprise which includes not only different denominations of coins, but also different eras and currency. Within the U.S. coin collecting market, quarters only represent a very small portion of the available stock. Many quarters collectors will also collect other coins such as half dollars, but this is by no means a requirement. In fact, U.S. quarters are some of the most varied coins to collect as they have been available in several different incarnations over the years as well as contain several notable rare variances.
Types of Quarters to Collect
The authorization for the minting of U.S. quarters, worth 25 cents or a quarter of a dollar, was initially given by the U.S. government in 1792. However, the first time these coins were actually minted and put into circulation was the with the 1796 draped bust quarter. Since then, there have been a number of different designs of quarters minted, which hold differing values and are made of different material. Though all quarters were initially silver, the percentage of silver as compared to other metals, primarily copper, within each quarter has varied throughout the years, thus affecting the retained value of certain coins.
The following table depicts the various types of quarters offered to the American population as well as the time period in which they were minted and their relative composition:
Years Minted | Metallic Composition | Weight of Coin | Variations | Mints that Produced Them | |
| 1796-1838 | 0.8924 silver 0.1076 copper. | 6.74 grams | Philadelphia (only, no marking) | ||
| 1838-1891 | 0.90 silver 0.10 copper | 6.22-6.68 grams | Too many to list; generally not collected according to variations. | Philadelphia New Orleans San Francisco Carson City | |
| 1892-1916 | 0.90 silver 0.10 copper | 6.25 grams | None | Philadelphia New Orleans Denver San Francisco | |
| 1916-1930 | 0.90 silver 0.10 copper | 6.25 grams | 1916: Liberty’s breast is covered 1925: date of minting set into a depression | Philadelphia Denver San Francisco | |
| 1932-1964 | 0.90 silver 0.10 copper | 6.25 grams | Known as "silver quarters" | Philadelphia Denver San Francisco | |
| 1964-Present | Outer layer: 0.75 copper 0.25 nickel Inner core: 100 percent copper | 5.67 grams | Known as "clad coinage" | Philadelphia Denver San Francisco | |
| 1976 only | Outer layer: 0.75 copper 0.25 nickel Inner core: 100 percent copper | 5.67 grams | Technically a variety of the Washington quarter; there is also a 0.40 silver version | Philadelphia Denver San Francisco | |
| 1999-2008 | Outer layer: 0.75 copper 0.25 nickel Inner core: 100 percent copper | 5.67 grams | Technically a variety of the Washington quarter; there is one design for each of the 50 U.S. states | Philadelphia Denver San Francisco |
Within each of these general types of U.S. quarters, there is also quite a bit of variety which results from minting numbers, die errors, and other peculiarities which will be discussed in the next section. However, casual collectors generally focus on one type or era of quarter rather than collecting errors or attempting to acquire them all. The most commonly collected coins are uncirculated U.S. State quarters and silver Washington quarters from 1932 to 1964.
Rare and Coveted U.S. Quarters
Though the differing types of quarters are enough to keep even a mildly serious collector busy for years, there are still other "types" of quarters which are highly valued on the collector market. These quarters were meant to simply be made as one of the varieties mentioned above, however an error during the minting process or a limited minting has thus made them rare and far more valuable. There are literally too many errors and varieties in coins to adequately list in this guide, however, there are some major errors and rare mintings that beginning collectors should at least be aware of when buying quarters.
Rare Mintings
At several points during U.S. history one action or another, such as war, created a situation where certain coins, or coins produced by certain mints, were limited. There are many cases of this with all sorts of U.S. coins, but there are four distinct instances among quarters especially. They are:
- 1916- P / D / S Standing Liberty Quarter (any mint, with exposed breast)
- 1917/18-S: Standing Liberty Quarters (overdate coins)
- 1932- D : Washington Quarters
- 1932- S : Washington Quarters
Mint-Made Errors
In addition to simple supply and demand issues created by too few quarters in production, there are several types of errors that have taken place over the years of coin making. These errors can occur at one of three spots within the minting process and come in still further varieties within each subset.
Planchet Preparation Errors
Planchets are used to make strips of metal into round metal discs which are then struck to create a coin. The planchet stage of coin minting first cuts the coins from the metal strips (type 1 planchets) and then upends the rims of these discs to give them a raised effect (type 2 planchet). Errors can occur in two fashions at this stage of the minting process.
- Clipped Planchet: Occurs when the metal fed through the machine does not fully go through before the next strike, leaving a less-than-perfect circle.
- Lamination Error: Occurs when some portion of the coin metal separates from itself because of either internal stress or impurities within the metal. This is usually a result of foreign materials becoming trapped inside of the planchet.
Planchet errors are the least likely to occur among circulated coins since they affect the very composition of the coin itself and are therefore easy to spot. However, this makes those coins that do circulate with planchet errors all the more rare and therefore valuable.
Hub and Die Errors
Once a planchet is produced, the next step in the process is the preparation of the die which will strike the coin in order to leave its main imprint. The process of preparing a die involves casting the imprint onto a long steel rod with a hub. When this takes place, sometimes small alterations to the imprint can occur either on the hub or each individual die. This can happen as a result of deterioration or a process error.
There are over a dozen different hub and die errors that can occur within the minting process. Briefly, they are:
- Die crack
- Die break
- Die chip
- Die clash
- MAD die clash
- Doubled die
- Dual mintmark (DMM)
- Overdate (OVD)
- Over mintmark (OVM)
- Wrong sized mintmark
- Repunched date (RPD)
- Repunched mintmark (RPM)
Usually, hub and die errors are minor flaws within the design of a coin that are not easily visible to the naked eye. For that reason, many coins with hub and die errors (called varieties) are released into circulation.
Striking Errors
The final error that can occur within the minting process takes place when the die strikes the planchet. These errors take place as a result of the mechanical manufacturing process of the coins, rather than because of the planchet or the die themselves. There are four main striking errors:
- Broadstrike: This error occurs when the rim image of the coin does not strike the coin’s edge. This happens when the die collar is missing and results in a coin with a plain edge.
- Brockage: The brockage error occurs when the mirror image of a coin is struck on both sides of the planchet causing the coin to look the same on both front and back sides.
- Multiple Strike: A multiple strike error occurs when a single planchet is struck more than once on the same side, but off-center. This error can be mistaken for a doubled die in which it is the die itself which contains the misaligned impression.
- Struck on the Wrong Planchet: This error occurs when the wrong sized planchet is fed through the die. The result is the the wrong coin image is imprinted onto the planchet. The most common of these errors among quarters occurs when quarter images are struck on dime planchets and state quarter designs on the back of Sacagawea dollars.
Striking errors usually occur in much smaller batches than hub and die errors since the mechanical malfunctions that cause them can be easily fixed. For that reason, striking error quarters are much more highly valued among collectors.
Ways to Collect and Buy Quarters
Depending on the ultimate goal of quarters collecting, acquiring quarters can be done in two distinct ways. The first involves searching circulated stock. The other option for quarters collecting is buying rare or collector set quarters through a number of means. This can include buying directly from the U.S. Mint as well as coin dealers, coin shows, auctions, and other online buying opportunities.
Buying Circulated Quarters
For collectors interested in error coins or older coins, the only choice is to buy circulated coins. Doing this is tricky business, however, as the condition of the coin, as well as its relative rarity, can dictate its price. Collectors should make sure that they consult collecting guides and others before going ahead with any circulated coin purchase, regardless of its medium. Make sure to know which markings are authentic and exactly what the market price is for any circulated coin of interest. Anyone interested in purchasing circulated coins is best off going through a dealer, coin show, or website like eBay .
Buying Uncirculated Quarters
Buying Quarters on eBay
The eBay Coins and Paper Money Shop is one of the best places on the Internet or off to find quarters for purchase, both circulated and uncirculated. Many independent coin dealers and collectors use eBay as a medium to swap treasures since the marketplace is global and allows easy sorting and searching for everyone involved. Rather than waiting for a coin show to come to the area, searching for quarters on eBay is fast, easy, and can be done right this minute.
One advantage to purchasing quarters on eBay is the website’s Buyer Protection program which allows collectors unprecedented protection from damaged or misadvertised merchandise. Rather than "taking chances" like on other online coin marketplaces, eBay provides a sense of s ecurity for both personal information and purchase authenticity.
Finally, the advantage to shopping for quarters on eBay is the multiple buying options that the site offers. High-volume sellers, such as boutique shops, have the option of offering their wares as a Buy It Now option rather than only through auction. For collectors desperate for a particular coin, this freedom to purchase without worrying about bidding wars and overpaying is invaluable.
Conclusion
Collecting and buying quarters is a really wonderful hobby that can be a rewarding way to celebrate our nation’s past as well as its future. The diverse ways in which collectors can amass their quarters collection is as diverse as the coins themselves and includes collecting different types of quarters as well as rare and error coins.
When one is ready to purchase a collector quarter, there are several options available to buyers. Which options will work best depend entirely upon the buyer’s wants and needs as well as the amount of time he or she has to dedicate to quarters collecting. One option, eBay, allows easy access to thousands of coins as well as excellent purchase protection which makes buying quarters easy and fun.
