Description
Everyone is digging through their change for the new 250th anniversary quarters — and throwing the 1776-1976 drummer boy quarter straight back in the jar. One of those sold for $19,200. Here is how to check yours in under a minute.
0:00 Why everyone is checking their change right now
0:20 Why every 1975 and 1976 quarter has the dual date
0:50 Check 1: the edge — copper stripe or solid silver
1:30 Check 2: the mint mark behind Washington's ponytail
1:55 Check 3: condition, where the real money is
2:30 Mint errors worth looking for
2:45 Your 10-second checklist
THE NUMBERS
Philadelphia struck 809,784,016 clad quarters. Denver struck 860,118,839. That is over 1.6 billion coins, which is why the one in your pocket is almost certainly worth 25 cents.
The 40% silver version came only from San Francisco, and just 11,000,000 were made. They were sold in collector sets and never released into circulation.
THE RECORD
$19,200 for a 1976-S silver quarter graded MS69, sold at Heritage Auctions in 2019.
HOW TO CHECK YOURS
1. Turn the coin on its side. A copper stripe between the outer layers means a normal clad coin. A solid grey edge with no copper line means you should look closer.
2. Find the mint mark behind Washington's ponytail. No letter is Philadelphia, D is Denver, S is San Francisco.
3. Look at the drummer and the rim under good light. Full luster, sharp detail and no bag marks is what collectors pay for.
Never clean or polish a coin. Cleaning removes the original surface and most of the value with it.
Which mint mark is on your Bicentennial quarter? Tell me in the comments.
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This video uses an AI-generated voiceover.
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