subject: How to Collect US quarter dollars ? [print this page] How to Collect US quarter dollars ? How to Collect US quarter dollars ?
From the lovely Standing Liberty design to the popular Washington-head type to the challenging Seated Liberty series, U.S. quarters present collectors with lots of choices and lots of fun. Read the following tips to choose the path that's right for you.
By type:
Difficulty rating: Easy. All the main quarter-dollar types are easily obtained.
Cost estimate: A type set in Fine condition runs approximately $750 ($26,000 if you want to include the 1796 Draped Bust/plain eagle); in Uncirculated condition, expect to pay around $10,000 (or close to $75,000 if you include the 1796).
By date:
Difficulty rating: Easy to impossible. A date set of Draped Bust quarters is possible but expensive. The 1827 makes completing a date set of Capped Bust quarters expensive and unattractive. Same goes for the Seated Liberty quarters, because only four of the 1873- CC no arrows are known. In the Barber series, a complete set in circulated condition is still within the means of most collectors. Standing Liberty quarters and Washington quarters are no problem.
Cost estimate: Figure on paying $12,000 for a date set of Draped Bust quarters in Fine condition and leave it at that the extreme rarity of the 1804 quarter in high grade makes putting together an Uncirculated date set a dream. Likewise for the Capped Bust quarters: The 1827 is known only in proof condition and is always expensive. A Fine set of Seated Liberty quarter dollars runs more than $20,000, and that's without the 1873-CC no arrows; an Uncirculated set would not only be expensive but impossible, because several dates are unknown or extremely rare in Uncirculated condition (then there's the 1873-CC no arrows again). A Fine set of Barber quarters runs $10,500, and an Uncirculated set costs at least $50,000. A date and mintmark set of Standing Liberty quarter dollars in Fine condition costs $15,000; an Uncirculated set runs at least $50,000 (this figure multiples big time if you want full head examples). Circulated sets of Washington quarter dollars are inexpensive, but because many of the later dates are proof-only issues, we recommend attempting a set all in Uncirculated and proof conditions such a set starts at $4,500.
By die variety:
Difficulty rating: Easy to impossible. Draped Bust and Capped Bust quarter dollars are collected by die variety, but some are so rare as to be unobtainable. For example, a new variety of the 1837 was discovered recently, and only one lucky collector will have a chance to own it until another example is discovered. The Seated Liberty series contains numerous major and minor varieties, some of which are quite interesting. Favorites include the 1854-O Huge O, the open and closed 3 varieties of 1873, and the 1877-S S over horizontal S. Surprisingly, no major varieties exist in the Barber series. Look for the 1918/7-S overdate in the Standing Liberty quarter series. In the Washington-head series, highlights include doubled dies on some of the 1934, 1942-D, 1943, and 1943-S quarters and over-mintmarks on the 1950-D and 1950-S issues.
Cost estimate: Inexpensive to expensive, based on the difficulty ratings assigned in the previous bullet. We view varieties as a sidetrip anyway it's sometimes fun to get off the main road, but it's also easy to get lost. If you recognize hard-core die-variety collecting as an expensive, life-long proposition, then we say, "More power to you." If you decide to collect some of the later-date quarters by variety, start with the obvious ones and work down to the less dramatic ones.
