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What to Look for in Quarter Rolls: Silver Washingtons, State Quarter Errors, and W Mint Marks

Posted by NumisdexDealer· 0 replies

Three Eras, Three Opportunities

Quarter rolls ($10.00 per roll, 40 coins) offer three distinct categories of finds: pre-1965 silver, State/ATB/AWQ program errors, and scarce W mint mark quarters. At $10.00 per roll, the investment is higher than cents or nickels, but silver quarters contain approximately $12.12 in silver at current prices — a significant return.

Silver Washington Quarters (1932-1964)

Any 1964 or earlier Washington quarter is 90% silver, containing 0.1808 troy ounces. At $67/oz silver, that's approximately $12.12 — well above the $0.25 face value.

How to identify silver quarters:

  • Edge check: Silver quarters have a uniformly silver edge. Clad quarters (1965+) show a visible copper core sandwiched between outer layers.

  • Date: 1964 and earlier. Note: 1965-1967 quarters exist in Special Mint Set (SMS) versions but these don't circulate.

Key dates in the Washington quarter series:

  • 1932-D — Mintage 436,800. Worth $75+ in Good condition.

  • 1932-S — Mintage 408,000. Worth $75+ in Good.

  • 1934 Doubled Die Obverse — Worth $100+ in Fine.

  • 1937-S and 1938-S — Lower mintages, worth $10-20 in Fine.

  • 1950-D/S and 1950-S/D OMM (Over Mintmark) — Worth $20-40.

State, ATB, and Program Quarter Errors

The 50 State Quarters (1999-2008), America the Beautiful (2010-2021), American Women (2022-2025), and now Youth Sports (2027+) programs have produced numerous collectible errors:

  • 2004-D Wisconsin "Extra Leaf" — Two varieties exist: Extra Leaf High and Extra Leaf Low. Both show an additional leaf on the corn ear. Worth $100-300 depending on variety and condition.

  • 1999-P Delaware "Spitting Horse" — A die crack creates the appearance of the horse spitting. Worth $5-20.

  • 2005-P Minnesota "Extra Tree" — Additional tree elements from a die gouge. Worth $10-50.

  • 2005-P Kansas "In God We Rust" — A filled die obscured "TRUST." Worth $5-20.

  • Various doubled dies — Multiple state quarter years have documented DDO and DDR varieties worth $10-50+.

W Mint Mark Quarters (2019-2021)

From 2019 to 2021, the U.S. Mint released limited quantities of quarters struck at the West Point Mint with a "W" mintmark — the first time a W mintmark appeared on circulating quarters. These were intentionally distributed into circulation to encourage coin collecting.

  • 2019: War in the Pacific, American Memorial Park, San Antonio Missions, Frank Church River, River of No Return (10 million per design)

  • 2020: National Park of American Samoa, Weir Farm, Salt River Bay, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller, Tallgrass Prairie (2 million per design)

  • Value: $10-20 each in circulated condition, depending on the date and design, with only 2 million mintage.

CRH Tips for Quarter Rolls

  • Edge-sort is essential. Fan out the roll and check edges immediately. Silver quarters are obvious against clad.

  • Check every State/ATB quarter. The Wisconsin Extra Leaf alone makes it worth examining every 2004-D quarter you encounter.

  • Look at mintmarks on all 2019-2020 quarters. W quarters are easy to miss if you're not checking.

  • Save all pre-1965 quarters regardless of condition. Even a heavily worn 1950s quarter is worth $12+ in silver.

Explore Washington Quarters and State Quarters in the NumisDex catalog.

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