Most Bicentennial quarters are worth at least $5 in Mint State.
Any piece in circulated condition is generally only worth its face value. In other words, 25 cents.
Bicentennial quarters were made to commemorate America's 200th birthday. They feature a special reverse design and the date '1776–1976' in honor of the occasion.
This most valuable coin list is dynamic and is based upon the few thousand or so United States coins found in our ever growing database (updated: 2021). As of now our database consists almost entirely of coins from 1880s-2021, as we wanted to focus mostly on coins that were readily accessible and possibly still in circulation. Starting Washing quarters value is.zs-wash-q1.shtml. each. A worn silver quarter trades in this range with silver prices at.zs-silverbullion.shtml. as of.z-mdyear.shtml. Collector quality quarters - higher value - are identified using a step by step method. Date and mintmark combination plus grading condition are compared to images, video, and descriptions. Silver coin values of dimes, quarters, half dollars and silver dollars follow the price of silver. Using the calculator finds today's value. Images identify the series and important dates of silver coins. Your old coins are becoming surprisingly valuable, discover how much they are worth.
How Much Each Bicentennial Quarter Is Worth
Prices below are aggregated from CDN Greysheet, NGC Coin Explorer, PCGS CoinFacts, USA CoinBook.
| Mintmark | Composition | Finish | Mintage | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia (none) | Cupronickel clad | Uncirculated | 809,784,016 | $6 |
| Denver (D) | Cupronickel clad | Uncirculated | 860,118,839 | $6 |
| San Francisco (S) | Cupronickel clad | Proof | 7,059,099 | $4 |
| San Francisco (S) | 40% Silver | Uncirculated | 11,000,000 | $7.50 |
| San Francisco (S) | 40% Silver | Proof | 4,000,000 (included above) | $9 |
The values listed are for coins grading MS65 or PR65. Higher grades will garner a premium above the listed values.
Collecting Bicentennial Quarters
Special Mint sets included 40% silver varieties of the 1976 quarter. These tend to be the most valuable varieties in this brief series.
In fact, millions of the silver Bicentennial quarters were melted down in 1982 and subsequent years. This reduced the number existing from the original mintage of approximately 11 million.
More than 1.6 billion Bicentennial quarters were made in total over the two years of production.
The conventional wisdom of collecting Mint State specimens applies even more so to this series. Much of the initial production run didn't result in particularly well-struck coins. Moreover, not all of those that were collected and hoarded were properly preserved. Thus high-grade examples are somewhat more scarce.
Furthermore, these commemorative quarters are not the first thing that comes to mind when you want to buy silver coins. That may have added to their scarcity over the years.
Bicentennial Quarter Historical Background
The Bicentennial quarter was minted only in 1975 and 1976.
Production began a year early in order to discourage hoarding of the coin. This helped ensure that the public could see and enjoy the new designs regularly.
You may even come across them in pocket change today!
Image: Postcardly
The goal of maximizing public exposure to the patriotic theme informed the decision to make the quarters circulating commemoratives. The Bicentennial quarter was one of many circulating commemorative coins issued during the 1970s.
Jack L. Ahr designed the reverse image. His design was chosen through an open contest held by the Treasury in 1973.
Both the Kennedy half dollar and Eisenhower dollar also received temporary Bicentennial reverse designs for 1976. Therefore, none of these U.S. coin denominations exist with the year-date '1975.'
All three Bicentennial coins were made as circulation strikes. The 'classic' U.S. commemorative coin program had been on hiatus since 1954.
Bicentennial Quarter Design
The reverse design honors America's 200th anniversary of declaring independence in 1776.
A revolutionary soldier playing a drum replaces the eagle on the reverse design. To the left of the drummer, above the inscription 'E PLURIBUS UNUM,' thirteen stars encircle a torch.
The dual date '1776–1976' appears on the obverse. For the same reason, the dual date was used on the circulating editions of the half dollar and $1 coin, as well.
Quarters Worth More Than Face Value
Everything else about the obverse remains unchanged. You'll find the mintmark to the right of Washington's portrait. The national motto 'IN GOD WE TRUST' is inscribed to his left. 'LIBERTY' curls across the top rim.