Neil S Berman
Expert Numismatist & Rare Coin Dealer

Rare Coins - Quarters

Quarters and Twenty Cents

One of the shortest lived and oddest denominations was the Twenty Cent piece. They were confused with the quarter dollar and rejected by the public in their day. On the other hand, there are nine major types of United States Quarter Dollars, among the first coins authorized by Congress and first struck in 1796, and types are still minted today.

Twenty Cent Piece 1875 - 1878		Draped Bust Quarters Sm Eagle 1796		Draped Bust Quarters Lg Eagle 1804 - 1807

Liberty Seated Twenty Cent 1875-1878
Made for only four years and with a total mintage of fewer than one and a half million, the silver Twenty Cent Piece is always a popular coin, which we buy and sell regularly.

Draped Bust Small Eagle 1796
First authorized by the United States Congress in 1792, this denomination was not struck until 1796. This one year type is scarce and desirable in any grade.  There is no mark of value on this coin. When I worked for Arthur Kagin in the early 1970s, at one point in time he had over a hundred of these coins. We buy and sell Draped Bust Quarters of both kinds when ever given the chance.

Draped Bust Large Eagle 1804-1807
The Large Eagle or Heraldic Eagle reverse is another tough type eagerly sought after by collectors in any grade. Low mintages ensure that survivors as a rule are pretty well used up. We will buy any United States Draped Bust Quarter Dollar.

Capped Bust Quarters Large 1815 - 1828		Capped Bust Quarters Small 1831 - 1838		Seated Quarter 1818 - 1891

Capped Bust Large Size 1815-1828
This series has lots of over dates to collect, but aside from the 1823/2, most of the varieties have no additional value. The Capped Bust Large Size or Large Diameter Quarter Dollar as it is sometimes called has the rare dates of 1827 and 1828 (the plain date) and the all have a motto. We buy all silver quarters.

Capped Bust Small Size 1831-1838
In 1831 the Capped Bust was Reduced Diameter and the motto “In God We Trust” was removed. This series has no rare dates but is popularly collected. We buy Capped Bust Quarter Dollars.

Liberty Seated 1838-1891
This is one of the longest running designs with plenty of varieties to please collectors.  First is the No Drapery (and No Motto) 1838-1840, the No Motto of 1838-1853, then Arrows and Rays 1853, then Arrows (at date) 1854-1855 and 1873-1874, and concluding With Motto 1866-1873 and 1875-1891. United States Liberty Seated Quarter Dollars are a very popular coin and we buy and sell them.

Barber Quarter 1892 - 1916		Standing Liberty Quarter 1917 - 1924		Standing Liberty Quarter 1925 - 1930

Barber Quarters 1892-1916
Named after the designer Charles Barber, these quarters are sometimes called Liberty Head Quarters by those who do not collect the. Most of them are common coins in circulated conditions.

Standing Liberty Type I 1916-1917
These quarter dollars with No Stars below the eagle on reverse are a popular type but short lived because Miss Liberty was topless. In 1917 she was “covered up” with a chain mail vest. They are a desirable two year type coin, but the first year 1916 is a rare date.

Standing Liberty Type II 1917-1930
The Type II or Stars Below Eagle (on reverse) are also collectable but because of a design flaw most we see have no dates making them candidates for the ninety percent silver bags. In 1925 the date was Recessed making another subtype. We always buy silver quarter dollars.

Washington Quarter 1932 - 1998

Washington 1932-to date
Washington’s quarter was first issued on the 200th anniversary o his birth. The two key dates of 1932D and 1932S are of interest, but the rest of the series is rather bland in circulated condition. We buy Washington Quarter Dollars in silver made from 1932 until 1964, and in United States Mint Sets and United States Proof Sets before 1964 with silver quarters as well.

 

Photographs © 2013 Professional Coin Grading Service. All rights reserved. Used with permission.