Bicentennial Quarter

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This coin was first produced in 1975 in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the independence of the United States. The coin was minted in the years 1975 and 1976 and carried the dual dates of 1776-1976. During the release of the Bicentennial coinage, no coins of this denomination carried the single date of 1975 or 1976. The obverse (i.e. Front side) of the Bicentennial Quarter was almost identical to the quarters of 1932-74, the only difference being the presence of the dual date of 1776-1976. The reverse design, created by Jack L. Ahr in a government sponsored contest, features a Colonial drummer and a victory torch encircled by 13 stars.

  • 301 Bicentennial Circle Sacramento, CA 95826 Business Hours: 8:00 a.m. To 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, (excluding court holidays) Landlord/Tenant (Unlawful Detainers) - 916-875-7746 (Call Center Hours: 8:05 a.m.
  • The bicentennial Washington quarter features a 1776-1976 date on the obverse and a colonial drummer on the reverse of the coin to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the United States of America. This coin was produced in both years of 1975 through 1976 so there were no 1975 coins.
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Washington Quarter Key Dates & Errors

Bicentennial quarter

There are about a dozen or so common errors and a few key dates to look for when searching and collecting Washington Quarters. A quick summary would include heavy and light mottos, double die obverses, years 1932 S & D,1933 (none), 1934 Light + Heavy Mottos, 1934 DDO, 1937 DDO, 1942 DDO (Denver), 1950 S over D. For photo examples, further details, and more key dates and errors read the rest of the article.

Bicentennial Quarter Value

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Quarter

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  • 1932-S and 1932-D - Since 1932 was the first year of production for the Washington quarter, most of them were produced at the Philadelphia mint. This means that the quarters produced at the Denver and San Francisco mints have significantly higher values than those from the Philadelphia mint, even in lower grade conditions.
  • 1933 - There were no Washington quarters produced in 1933.
  • 1934 Light Motto - Although the Washington quarter is well known for high quality strikes, many 1934 quarters produced at the Philadelphia mint have a light motto. Unfortunately, so many were produced that only those quarters with MS-63 and above that evidence the light motto strike hold significantly higher values.
  • 1934 Heavy Motto - Just like the 1934 Light Motto...just the opposite. The 1934 Heavy Motto is a heavy In God We Trust.
  • 1934 DDO - 1934 DDO (Double Die Obverse) can usually be seen on the 'In God We Trust'.

  • DDO In God We Trust Example
    1944 DDO Date Example
    1950 S over D Example
  • 1937 DDO - 1937 DDO (Double Die Obverse) can usually be seen on the 'In God We Trust', as well as the date '1937'.
  • 1942 Denver DDO - 1942 D (Denver) DDO (Double Die Obverse) can be noticed by looking at the L in liberty as well as the 'In God We Trust'.
  • 1944 DDO - 1944 DDO Quarter see example with double '1944'.
  • 1950 S over D - The mint went back and stamped an S over the D in an effort to distribute the 1950 Quarter. They have done this sort of thing often throughout the mints history.
  • 1951 to 1964 - Due to vastly expanded production of the Washington quarters from all mints, the value for even highly graded quarters drops dramatically.
  • 1954-S - 1954 - The last year Washington quarters were produced at the San Francisco min. Unfortunately, due to very high production, these quarters hold no higher value than 1954 quarters produced at other mints. Although production of Washington quarters did resume at the San Francisco mint in 1969, these were for mint sets only and any quarters with an S mint mark are only from broken mint sets.
  • 1776-1976 S Silver - This was a special issue release for the bicentennial and have a value some ten times higher than other 1776-1976 Bicentennial Washington quarters.

1989 Off Center Strike Example
1961 Quarter Clip Error Example

Error Coins

Whether by accident or by design, there is only one real set of Washington Quarter error coins: the 1950 D/S and S/D overstrikes. Apparently there was a mix-up when new dies were sent to the Denver and San Francisco mints and many overstrike coins were produced.

Clips: There are many instances of quarters that have been clipped either slightly or clipped hard.

Die Cracks: When dies wear out they crack from usage. They then leave die crack marks when striking the quarter. These coin are usually worth just slightly more than the non error counterpart.

Bicentennial Quarter

Off Center Strikes: When the die strikes the planchet off center it creates goofy looking strikes that seem to look like they were made with a play-dough fun factory mint set. :)

Bicentennial Quarter No Mint Mark

Bicentennial

Conclusion

Since the Washington quarter was constructed with a bold design and wasn't redesigned until the 1776-1976 Bicentennial release and the Statehood quarters starting in 1999, there are no design changes or flaws as there have been in other US coins. However, keeping the main key dates in mind as well as the overstrike errors, you can still find high value coins in the Washington quarter series.

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Bicentennial Quarter Silver

References: Wikipedia Die Crack

Helpful Links

Bicentennial quarters valuable

There are about a dozen or so common errors and a few key dates to look for when searching and collecting Washington Quarters. A quick summary would include heavy and light mottos, double die obverses, years 1932 S & D,1933 (none), 1934 Light + Heavy Mottos, 1934 DDO, 1937 DDO, 1942 DDO (Denver), 1950 S over D. For photo examples, further details, and more key dates and errors read the rest of the article.

Bicentennial Quarter Value

Enjoy! If you like the article please be sure to share this page with your pals.

Hit Ctrl+D on PC to bookmark this page now!

  • 1932-S and 1932-D - Since 1932 was the first year of production for the Washington quarter, most of them were produced at the Philadelphia mint. This means that the quarters produced at the Denver and San Francisco mints have significantly higher values than those from the Philadelphia mint, even in lower grade conditions.
  • 1933 - There were no Washington quarters produced in 1933.
  • 1934 Light Motto - Although the Washington quarter is well known for high quality strikes, many 1934 quarters produced at the Philadelphia mint have a light motto. Unfortunately, so many were produced that only those quarters with MS-63 and above that evidence the light motto strike hold significantly higher values.
  • 1934 Heavy Motto - Just like the 1934 Light Motto...just the opposite. The 1934 Heavy Motto is a heavy In God We Trust.
  • 1934 DDO - 1934 DDO (Double Die Obverse) can usually be seen on the 'In God We Trust'.

  • DDO In God We Trust Example
    1944 DDO Date Example
    1950 S over D Example
  • 1937 DDO - 1937 DDO (Double Die Obverse) can usually be seen on the 'In God We Trust', as well as the date '1937'.
  • 1942 Denver DDO - 1942 D (Denver) DDO (Double Die Obverse) can be noticed by looking at the L in liberty as well as the 'In God We Trust'.
  • 1944 DDO - 1944 DDO Quarter see example with double '1944'.
  • 1950 S over D - The mint went back and stamped an S over the D in an effort to distribute the 1950 Quarter. They have done this sort of thing often throughout the mints history.
  • 1951 to 1964 - Due to vastly expanded production of the Washington quarters from all mints, the value for even highly graded quarters drops dramatically.
  • 1954-S - 1954 - The last year Washington quarters were produced at the San Francisco min. Unfortunately, due to very high production, these quarters hold no higher value than 1954 quarters produced at other mints. Although production of Washington quarters did resume at the San Francisco mint in 1969, these were for mint sets only and any quarters with an S mint mark are only from broken mint sets.
  • 1776-1976 S Silver - This was a special issue release for the bicentennial and have a value some ten times higher than other 1776-1976 Bicentennial Washington quarters.

1989 Off Center Strike Example
1961 Quarter Clip Error Example

Error Coins

Whether by accident or by design, there is only one real set of Washington Quarter error coins: the 1950 D/S and S/D overstrikes. Apparently there was a mix-up when new dies were sent to the Denver and San Francisco mints and many overstrike coins were produced.

Clips: There are many instances of quarters that have been clipped either slightly or clipped hard.

Die Cracks: When dies wear out they crack from usage. They then leave die crack marks when striking the quarter. These coin are usually worth just slightly more than the non error counterpart.

Off Center Strikes: When the die strikes the planchet off center it creates goofy looking strikes that seem to look like they were made with a play-dough fun factory mint set. :)

Bicentennial Quarter No Mint Mark

Conclusion

Since the Washington quarter was constructed with a bold design and wasn't redesigned until the 1776-1976 Bicentennial release and the Statehood quarters starting in 1999, there are no design changes or flaws as there have been in other US coins. However, keeping the main key dates in mind as well as the overstrike errors, you can still find high value coins in the Washington quarter series.

Did this page help you? If so please be sure to share this page with your friends.

Hit Ctrl+D on PC to bookmark this page now!

Bicentennial Quarter Silver

References: Wikipedia Die Crack

Helpful Links

Best Articles

Most Valuable Quarters
Silver Quarters
Key Dates/Errors
Quarter Grading Tips
50 State Qurters

Price

.25 to $5
$5.01 to $15
$15.01 to $25
$25.01 to $35
$35.01 to $45
$45.01 to $55
$55.01 to $75
$75.01 to $125
$125.01 to $300
$300.01 to $500
$500.01 to $900
$900.01 to $2000
$2000.01 to $5000
$5000.01 to $14000
*Value is that of highest MS-65 grade.




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