The inner circle of the shield is complete. Very Fine Condition (VF-20) - Moderate wear on the higher parts of the design. Some parts of Liberty's gown are defined, and the outer rim of the shield is complete. Half of the eagle's wing feathers are visible. Very Good Condition (VG-8) - The top part of Liberty's chainmail top is visible. The rim is light but fully defined. Some of the eagle's feathers are visible.įine Condition (F-12) - All inscriptions fully defined. The rim is partially worn down into the coin's fields. Good Condition (G-4) - Heavy wear on the entire design, with inscriptions still visible but faded in parts and Lady Liberty worn flat. Each grade is paired with a numeric value on the 70-point Sheldon grading scale, with 0 representing a completely worn, featureless coin and 70 representing a coin in perfect mint condition. coins, Standing Liberty Quarters can be broadly categorized into 7 condition grades, ranging from heavy wear to mint state condition. The coin contains 0.18084 troy oz of silver, a bullion value of about $3 at silver's current value of $18.50/oz.Īs with all U.S. The Standing Liberty Quarter measures 24.3mm in diameter (same size as a mdoern quarter), weighs 6.25g, and is composed of a 90% silver / 10% copper alloy. To combat that, the Mint lowered the relief on the date in 1925 to better protect it from wear.Īs a result, circulated coins dated 1925 and onward are much cheaper than coins from earlier in the series, as many of the earlier coins no longer have visible dates. entry into WWI, but was not made due to any public outcry over the nudity.Īs a result of the design change, all coins dated 1916 and some coins dated 1917 bear the original "Type 1" design, while some 1917 coins bear the chainmail top "Type 2" design.Ībout a decade into the series, Mint officials realized that the date was completely wearing off on coins in circulation. The change may have been made due to a desire to portray Liberty in a stronger light, given the U.S. The initial design featured Lady Liberty with an exposed right breast, but the sculptor MacNeil revised his original design in 1917 and clothed Liberty in a chainmail top. law required the inclusion of an eagle on all denominations of coins from quarters on upwards.ĭue to Mint production delays, the new design did not start getting produced until the winter of 1916, resulting in a series-low mintage of 52,000 1916-dated coins. The coin's reverse features an eagle in flight, as another U.S. The coin's obverse features Lady Liberty striding forward, holding an olive branch in one hand and a shield in the other - symbolizing that America wanted peace, but was ready to defend herself if necessary. Liberty holds her shield pointed to the heraldic east, in the direction of Europe. In 1916 when the coin was first produced, America had not yet entered the war and still held an isolationist stance. MacNeil's design was heavily symbolic, intended to represent an American response to the start of World War I. MacNeil's submission won the Mint's approval. Satisfied with the other new designs of coins, the Mint again turned to professional sculptors to draft the new quarter design. The Barber designs outlasted all of those coins due to an archaic law preventing coin designs from being changed until 25 years after their start date. The Lincoln cent and Buffalo nickel designs were launched soon after. Mint released new designs for the $20 gold Double Eagle denomination and the $10 gold Eagle (designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens), as well as the $5 gold Half Eagle and $2.50 gold Quarter Eagle (the Indian Head design by Bela Lyon Pratt). The Standing Liberty Quarter was created in 1916 to replace the Barber Quarter design, a design of Mint Chief Engraver Charles Barber that had been used on quarters, dimes, and half dollars since 1892.īarber's low-relief design was ideal for efficiently producing large numbers of coins at a low cost, but the basic, spartan design was unpopular with the public.Īfter his election to the presidency, Theodore Roosevelt took an active interest in modernizing the nation's coin designs on more artistic lines, deeming the existing designs to be of "atrocious hideousness."Īs a result of his efforts, the U.S. In this article, I’ll provide a quick history of the Standing Liberty Quarter, along with a grading guide, a list of key-dates, and a price guide. Though it was only produced for 15 years, the series is full of valuable key-dates and interesting varieties. The Standing Liberty Quarter, immediate predecessor of the Washington Quarter, has long been considered one of the most beautiful U.S.
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