• The Top 25 Most Valuable U.S. Quarters

• Rare Us Coins Dollar
• Rare Us Coins List
• Rare Us Coins 2018

Ever wonder what the most valuable U.S. quarters are? There are many pricey quarters in the coin collecting market, and it’s no surprise, as the 25-cent coin is really the workhorse of U.S. coins in circulation today. The Quarter is used for everything from toll booths to vending machines, and it is usually the highest-value coin given as change during a cash purchase.

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Quarters have been popular with coin collectors for many decades, but they’ve seen increased numismatic attention since 1999, when the U.S. Mint began releasing new reverse designs every 10 weeks in the 50 States Quarter program. This most ambitious initiative caught on with the public like wildfire, and it was estimated in the early 2000s that up to 100 million Americans were collecting coins. While a lot of the 50 State Quarter buzz has since simmered down, quarter dollars are still widely collected. Though no Washington Quarters rank among the Top 25 most valuable quarters on this list, there are several dates in the Washington Quarter series that are quite scarce and worth hundreds of dollars in uncirculated condition.

The quarter was originally issued in 1796 by the Philadelphia Mint and was often dubbed the “2 bits” coin – a reference to its face value of 25 cents, representing two segments of a Pieces of Eight coin. In early times during American history, the Pieces of Eight coin was regularly used as the base currency, often standing in for the official base currency – the silver dollar.

The prices listed below among the Top 25 most valuable quarters refer to coins grading Good-4 on the Sheldon Grading Scale, unless otherwise noted.

1. 1823/22 Liberty Cap Quarter: $35,000 – The most expensive quarter in a grade of Good isn’t the first quarter ever issued (from 1796) but, rather, an overdate variety from the 19th-century Liberty Cap Quarter series. Many of the early quarters are overdate varieties, as the dies were often reused from earlier years. Some overdates are more common than others, and in the case of the quarter, the 1823/22 is the king of them all.

2. 1796 Draped Bust Quarter: $12,000 – This is the first quarter, and at $12,000 for a specimen in grade Good-4, the deal isn’t bad at all. Very few of the original 6,146 quarters minted in 1796 exist today, and as an important piece of coinage history, this quarter will always have a market.

3. 1870-CC Seated Liberty Quarter: $10,000 – All coinage from the Carson City Mint is scarce anyway, but certain issues from this long-closed mint prove far tougher to find than others. That can be said for the 1870-CC quarter, which saw a tiny mintage of 8,340 and is extremely difficult to locate. Pieces in Mint State Grades have proven virtually impossible to find.

4. 1804 Draped Bust Quarter: $5,500 – Across the board, U.S. coins bearing the date 1804 are in high demand, as most were minted in very small quantities. Just 6,738 quarters sere made in 1804, which is only slightly higher than the number made in 1796.

5. 1901-S Barber Quarter: $5,200 – The key date in the Barber Quarter series, the 1901-S was minted to the tune of just 72,664 pieces which tiny when compared to other 20th-century coin issues. While you should be able to find a 1901-S quarter with a bit of searching, the demand for this scarce coin far outstrips the meager supply.

6. 1873-CC Seated Liberty Quarter: $5,000 – We’re back to addressing the scarceness of those early 1870s Carson City Mint quarters again, and the 1873-CC is definitely a tough coin, with only 12,462 originally struck. A much smaller quantity remains today.

7. 1871-CC Seated Liberty Quarter: $3,450 – Yet another early 1870s Carson City quarter has made this list. It’s impossible to overstate just how scarce these coins are. In this case, just 10,890 were made – only a tiny amount of these survive today.

8. 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter: $2,850 – It’s no surprise this famous Standing Liberty Quarter cracked the Top 10 in a grade of Good-4. There are multiple reasons there is so much allure behind the 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter. For one, it’s a first-year type coin. It also boasts a small mintage of 52,000 pieces. What’s more, it features a scandalous design that exposed Miss Liberty’s right breast – a tiny detail that caused a big stir in the American public to say the least. Miss Liberty was made a little more modest in 1917 by designer Hermon Atkins MacNeil with the addition of a chain mail vest.

9. 1822 25/50C. Liberty Cap Quarter: $2,750 – Another early overdate has cracked the Top 10 of the most valuable quarters. Of course, most type coin collectors won’t give a second thought about collecting overdates like this, but for Bust coin enthusiasts - and there are many in the numismatic community - these die varieties are highly attractive and very rare for the most part.

10. 1913-S Barber Quarter: $1,800 – The 10th of the most valuable quarters on this list is represented by the 1913-S Barber Quarter. Only 40,000 pieces were originally made, and fewer survive today. Making this coin all the tougher is the demand for it – there are simply not enough examples of this coin to satisfy all the people who collect Barber Quarters by date and mint mark.

The prices listed below among the Top 25 most valuable quarters refer to coins grading Good-4 on the Sheldon Grading Scale, unless otherwise noted. 1823/22 Liberty Cap Quarter: $35,000 – The most expensive quarter in a grade of Good isn’t the first quarter ever issued (from 1796) but, rather, an overdate variety from the 19th-century. Yes, you can find silver quarters and other rare quarters in your pocket change. These are the most valuable quarters you should be looking for. They’re worth at least 4 times face value: $1 or more apiece! Most Valuable Half Dollars. Buy, Sell, Auction, Value & Consign rare and collectible U.S. Heritage specializes in gold coins, silver coins, slabbed and graded coins of all varieties.

What follows are coin values for the most valuable quarters ranking from 11th place to 25th:

11. 1918/17-S Standing Liberty Quarter: $1,550

12. 1872-CC Seated Liberty Quarter: $1,450

13. 1824/2 Liberty Cap Quarter: $950

14. 1872-S Seated Liberty Quarter: $850

15. 1896-S Barber Quarter: $845

16. 1854-O huge “O” Seated Liberty Quarter: $800

17. 1860-S Seated Liberty Quarter: $750

18. 1805 Draped Bust Quarter: $555

19. 1849-O Seated Liberty Quarter: $550

20. 1806 Draped Bust Quarter: $525

21. 1807 Draped Bust Quarter: $525

22. 1828 25/50C. Liberty Cap Quarter: $500

23. 1842-O small date Liberty Seated Quarter: $500

24. 1871-S Seated Liberty Quarter: $500

25. 1866 Seated Liberty Quarter $450

Franklin half dollars are among the most popular series for collectors of modern United States coins.

These 90% silver half dollars bear a portrait of Founding Father and prolific inventor Benjamin Franklin on the obverse. The reverse motif features the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.

Rarest Franklin Half Dollar Business-Strike & Proof Issues (Chart)

There are no regular-issue business-strike Franklin silver half dollars—the type intended for circulation—that can be considered truly rare in a categorical sense. There are, however, a few scarcer circulation issues with relatively low mintages. Several are among the proofs. Thus, these key dates are a little more challenging to locate than others.

Most Valuable Franklin Half Dollars: Key Dates

The coin values listed below are for typical examples. The prices for the business-strike (non-proof) pieces are for average circulated specimens. Uncirculated pieces are worth much more.

Franklin Half Dollar Values

Prices for the rest of the series are listed below.

More About Franklin Half Dollars

Franklin halves were issued from 1948 through 1963. They were the last United States half dollar series struck only in 90% silver, following the Walking Liberty half dollar.

The Kennedy half dollars that followed beginning in 1964 were made as 90% silver circulating coins for only one year. The conversion to less-expensive copper-silver clad came in 1965. Eventually the denomination switched to copper-nickel clad for business strikes in 1971.

John R. Sinnock designed the Franklin half dollar. If the artist's name sounds familiar it's because his work famously appears on another popular coin that originated in the mid-1940s: the Roosevelt dime.

Like the Roosevelt dime series, there are few rare or even scarce issues among Franklin halves, as mentioned above. Many are sold for their bullion value, also known as melt value. However, there are several conditional rarities and varieties that are worth looking for. These can range in value from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars apiece.

Full-Bell Line Franklin Halves

Uncirculated Franklin half dollar coins with complete horizontal lines on the Liberty Bell are very scarce. Over the past few decades, collectors have come to realize this.

Prices are all over the map for these so-called Full Bell Line (FBL) Franklin halves. That's partly because certain issues are much rarer with these fully struck details than others.

Full Bell Lines Franklin half dollar. Image via NGC

As a general rule of thumb, expect to pay at least 50% more for a nice FBL Franklin half dollar versus an ordinary example in the same equivalent mint state grade. However, many pieces trade for much more than this. A few dates even sell for many multiples of a similar non-FBL example in the same grade.

For example, the 1953-S Franklin half dollar is a very common coin in the grade of MS-65, where it trades for around $50. Yet, with FBL details, this issue is among the rarest. A 1953-S FBL Franklin halves in MS-65 generally sells for more than $15,000!

Franklin Half Rare Errors & Varieties

All coin series boast errors and varieties. The Franklin half dollar series is certainly no exception.

There are many Franklin half dollars with scarce and intriguing errors. Included are off-center strikes, multiple strikes (not the same as a doubled die), and die cracks. The same is true for the varieties, including doubled dies and repunched mintmarks.

Bugs Bunny variety Franklin half. Image via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0

One of the most popular Franklin half varieties is the 1955 Bugs Bunny Franklin half dollar. It's a somewhat scarce die clash error in which Franklin appears to have two buck teeth—very similar in appearance to those donned by famous cartoon hare Bugs Bunny. The 1955 Bugs Bunny half dollar trades for about $30 in MS-60 and $75 in MS-65.

A particularly rare Franklin half dollar variety is the 1961 doubled die proof. It bears strong doubling across the reverse of the coin. Examples of this sought-after variety easily realize $2,500 or more.

Collecting Franklin Half Dollars

The Franklin half dollar series is a terrific set for novice or seasoned coin collectors alike. There are only 35 regular-issue coins (not including proofs or varieties) necessary for assembling a basic complete set. Most of these coins can be easily obtained in circulated grades for little more than their silver value.

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Yet, advanced collectors who want a more numismatically and financially challenging set need simply turn to high-end and FBL-level issues. For those who want an even tougher objective still, they can add proofs, major varieties, and errors to their want lists.

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Rare Us Coins 2018

In other words, the Franklin half dollar is the type of series that can be built for well less than $1,000. Or, perhaps, it can set adventuresome, deep-pocketed collectors back more than $250,000. It all comes down to how much effort one wants to exert in building such a set and how much—or little—money can be spent at the coin dealer in following through on such a goal.

There is no right or wrong way to collect these coins. With virtually limitless options for pursuing this series, there is no limit on how much fun a numismatist can have building a collection of Franklin silver half dollars.

Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez is a journalist, editor, and blogger who has won multiple awards from the Numismatic Literary Guild. He has also authored numerous books, including works profiling the history of the United States Mint and United States coinage.

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