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Quarters

Quarters (2000s)

2005-P Minnesota Doubled-die Extra Tree Quarter The Minnesota state quarter features images of the state's wildlife, trees, and lakes. Some of the state's quarters show an extra treetop in the coin's design, and this 2005-P Minnesota Doubled-die Extra Tree quarter is considered more rare and valuable if its amount of die-doubling, which makes the extra tree appear more clear, is pronounced.

2005 Minnesota Extra Leaf

2005-P Minnesota Doubled-die Extra Tree Quarter

2009 District of Columbia Double Die Reverse: Some quarters minted in Denver exhibit doubling on the "ELL" in "ELLINGTON." With this variety, a greater degree of doubling translates into higher demand, but the market for this coin is still too young to solidify any general value.

2007-P Wyoming Double-die Reverse Quarter The Wyoming state quarter minted in Philadelphia features a small number of coins that have a doubling visual effect. This rare 2007-P Wyoming Double-die Reverse quarter shows doubling on the coin's design around its saddle horn image.

2007-P Wyoming Double-die Reverse Quarter

2008-P Arizona Extra Cactus Leaves quarter features an accidental die-break mistake that makes this uncommon coin differ from the typical Arizona state quarter's design. This makes the coin's reverse side appear to include extra leaves.

2008-P Arizona Extra Cactus Leaves Quarter

2005-P Kansas Die-break Reverse Quarter

The design of the 2005 Kansas state quarter features a bison and sunflowers. A die break that affected some of the Philadelphia-minted coins created the 2005-P Kansas Die-break Reverse quarter, which shows either a humpback bison or the motto "IN GOD WE RUST."

2005 Kansas state quarter - 'In God We Rust'

2005-P Kansas Die-break Reverse QuarterThis was an accident caused by grease build-up in the coin dye for the letter T, and because it happened on the official motto of the United States, the coin can be worth hundreds of dollars.

This 2005 error wasn’t meant to be a statement on religion or government—it was simply the result of grease build-up in the coin die, filling the T in the word “Trust.” Grease build-up errors aren’t that uncommon, and they're not always worth much. In this case, however, the mistake is in a pretty interesting place, which makes the coins worth more to some collectors.

They’re not going to fund your early retirement, by any means, but an extra $100 in your pocket is nothing to sneeze at.

2004 Wisconsin state quarter with extra leaf

Value: Up to $300

Find an average Wisconsin state quarter from 2004, and that will get you one-fourth of a bag of chips. Find one with either the high or low leaf error, and you can get a whole lot more.

The 50 State Quarters series ran from 1999 until 2008, with special designs representing each state. Wisconsin's quarter came out in 2004; the reverse design features a cow, a wheel of cheese and a partially husked ear of corn lurking in the back.

2004-D Wisconsin quarter, extra leaf low — $130 and up

2004-D Wisconsin Extra High Leaf Quarter 25-$100

State quarter collectors, you might want to check out your coin from the Badger State. Of the 453 million Wisconsin quarters minted in 2004, thousands were somehow marked with an extra leaf on a husk of corn; some speculate a Mint employee did it on purpose. Depending on the quality of the coin, these “extra leaf” coins have sold for up to $1499. You should take special note of your pocket change if you live in the Tucson area—approximately 5000 of the coins have been discovered there.

2000-P South Carolina Off-center Error Quarter The uncommon 2000-P South Carolina Off-center Error quarter features an off-center strike because the Philadelphia mint did not properly align a small percentage of the Wyoming state coins with a planchet. A quarter that includes an off-center strike can markedly increase the coin's value.

2000-P South Carolina Off-center Error Quarter

2006-P Colorado Cud Errors Quarter

Quarters (1990s)

1999-P Connecticut Broadstruck Quarter A broadstrike can cause a quarter's image to spread out because a mint fails to contain the coin in a collar die when striking it. The rare 1999-P Connecticut Broadstruck quarter can have a high value because of this occurrence.

Another state quarter worth more than 25 cents is a 1999 Connecticut quarter that was “broadstruck,” or not quite lined up properly with the machine. If you’ve got one in your possession, you could be $25 richer.

1999-P Oregon Rotated-die Error Quarter

When minting a coin, a rotated-die error can cause a mismatch in the currency's obverse and reverse sides. These mistakes are rare and appear in a few state quarter designs, such as the valuable 1999-P Oregon Rotated-die Error quarter.

1970-S Proof Washington Quarter

What you should look for here is the "S" on the head side, which indicates that it was made in San Francisco, and on the tail side look for the year "1941" printed upside down above the word "Dollar." The quarter has been previously put up for auction for $35,000!

1999 Delaware Spitting Horse Error: Die cracking at the Philadelphia mint led to some quarters with extra metal around the horse's mouth. This extra metal looks as if the horse is spitting. Depending on the progression of the die crack and the condition of the coin, these errors can bring in anywhere from $2-20.

Quarters (other)

1932-1964 silver quarter

Value: $7 - $65

Between 1932 and 1964, quarters were 90% silver and 10% copper. These silver quarters look like any pre-state quarter 25-cent piece, but are worth a lot more if they're in the right condition.

State Quarters on Nickel Planchets: These odd coins can show up in any year, but seem to be more common in the first year Delaware, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Georgia coins. Accidentally struck on Nickel planchets, these coins are slightly smaller than a regular quarter. Error coin diameter size = 21.2mm. Regular quarter size = 24.3mm. Values for these coins depend on condition, but can reach well over a thousand dollars.

Other Errors: There are many different errors that have shown up in almost every year of mintage. Some of these errors may include die breaks, off-center striking, planchet clipping, die cuds, grease strike-through errors and missing layers. As the market is still fairly young, values for these types of errors will vary greatly but could be worth $5-300+ depending on what you have.

Quarters (other)

1930

1932-D — $115 and up

1932-S — $125 and up

1934 doubled die obverse — $75 and up

1937 doubled die obverse — $75 and up

1940

1943-S doubled die obverse — $30 and up

1950

1950-D/S — $30 and up

1950-S/D — $32 and up

1970

misprint

1980

1982-P — $3 and up (values for tnext 3 quarters are for specimens in circulated grades)

1982-D — $1.50 and up

1983-P — $5 and up -

1983-D — $3.50 and up

1986-D Washington Quarter .50-$4 fine

Half Dollars

Ben Franklin half-dollar

Value: $12 - $125

In 1948, the U.S. mint began circulating half-dollar coins with images of Ben Franklin and an eagle — which is funny, considering Franklin opposed the bald eagle's nomination as the nation's bird, in favor of a wild turkey.

Franklin's portrait on the coin was replaced by John F. Kennedy in 1964, following the president's 1963 assassination.

2007 “Godless” Presidential Coin

What's worse than "In God We Rust?" Apparently it's having no God to trust in the first place. The George Washington dollar coins were accidentally minted without the motto, and for that reason it can be worth hundreds to thousands of dollars.

In God We Trust? Not in 2007, apparently. That was the year that the new George Washington dollar coins were released in the U.S.; an unknown number of them were accidentally minted without the standard inscription “In God We Trust.” In 2007, experts predicted the flawed coins would eventually sell for about $50 when the market settled down. The prediction was pretty accurate—because tens of thousands of the coins have been found. The “Missing Edge Lettering” dollars, as they are officially called, go for anywhere from $29 to $228.

Dimes

1982 NO MINT MARK ROOSEVELT DIME

In the U.S., all coins are printed with a letter indicating the Mint at which they were made. “S” indicates San Francisco, “P” is Philadelphia, and “D” means Denver. (There are some retired Mints as well.) However, in 1982, the Philadelphia Mint forgot to put their identifying mark on a Roosevelt dime, the first error of that kind that was ever made on a U.S. coin. It’s unknown how many were actually distributed, but up to 10,000 of them were found in the Sandusky, Ohio, area after they were given as change at the Cedar Point amusement parks. Though thousands of them were released, a Roosevelt dime lacking a mint mark can sell for up to $300.

2005 Speared Bison Jefferson Nickel

If you own a 2005 nickel that looks like the buffalo has been stabbed, you may be sitting on more than a thousand dollars.

1942-1945 silver nickel

Value: 56 cents - $12.25

Nickels

1913 Liberty Head Nickel

The Liberty head, Shield, and the Buffalo nickel are each worth a few thousand dollars. If you own any nickels that look vintage, are from the 19th or 20th century, and have a face on it, your best bet is to visit a coin appraiser and get a second opinion.

2005 Speared Bison Jefferson Nickel

If you own a 2005 nickel that looks like the buffalo has been stabbed, you may be sitting on more than a thousand dollars.

Are you the owner of a 2005 nickel that looks a little bit like the buffalo on the “tails” side was stabbed? That’s due to a gouge or deep scratch that was on the die when the coins were minted. Though they typically sell for much less, a Speared Bison Jefferson Nickel has sold for up to $1265.

You may think you’re experiencing blurred vision if you come across a doubled die penny, but it’s really just a case of slightly askew alignment during the minting process that results in a doubled image. In 1955, 20,000 to 24,000 doubled die pennies were released to the public, mostly as change given from cigarette vending machines. The doubling is visible on the letters and numbers almost entirely, with the bust of Lincoln remaining unaffected. This particular coin in "extremely fine" condition could be worth about $1800.

1955 Double Die Penny

This coin is supposed to look just like it does in the photo above: blurry. The double image was created after a slight askew alignment during the minting process. In 1955, only a few thousand doubled die pennies were released, mostly given as change from cigarette vending machines. If this coin is in decent condition, it could be worth $1,800.

1997 DOUBLE-EAR LINCOLN PENNY

There were a lot of abnormalities about Abraham Lincoln’s appearance: He was uncommonly tall and had a posthumously diagnosed facial asymmetry condition, among other things. But he didn’t have double ear lobes, which is why a 1997 penny that appears to give him such a feature is worth up to $250.

Pennies

1894-S Barber Dime

Only nine 1894-S Barber dimes are said to exist, and they are so rare that they're worth millions of dollars.

1992 “Close AM” Penny

In 2012, a 1992 Lincoln penny sold for more than $20,000 at an auction. The only reason it's worth so much is because the "AM" in America is closer together than it should be. According to coin experts, fifteen of them are known to exist.

Coins have to be minted very precisely, and any deviation from precision raises collectors’ eyebrows. In 1992, the spacing between the “A” and the “M” in “United States of America” on the reverse side of the penny was closer together than usual, hence the nickname “Close AM.” There are only five known examples of the 1992-P (minted in Philadelphia); when one was auctioned on eBay in 2012, it sold for $24,056.63.

A 1992-D (minted in Denver) Close AM is also a great find. Fifteen of them are known to exist; one of them sold for $20,700 in 2012.

1943 steel penny

Value: 45 cents - $10

1943 Lincoln Head Copper Penny

In the '40s, the U.S. Mint made pennies out of steel, then coated them zinc, but this special coin was made out of copper. Real 1943 Lincoln head copper pennies can be worth up to $10,000, but those fake ones circulating around are only worth what they are meant to be.

It’s a little counterintuitive to think of a copper penny as an oddity, but it certainly was in 1943, when copper was needed for the war effort. That year, the U.S. Mint made pennies out of steel, then coated them in zincfor extra shine. However, it also accidentally made a copper batch. Very few of them ever left the facility, so the ones that did are worth—well, a pretty penny. Real 1943 copper pennies can go for up to $10,000, but be warned: There are plenty of fakes floating around.

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