Quarter Dollar · 2009–2009

DC & US Territories Quarters

The same restyled Washington portrait used on the State Quarters, facing left. Six one-year designs honoring the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Designer

John Flanagan (obverse, modified by William Cousins); various artists (reverses)

Diameter

24.26 mm

Edge

Reeded

Mint mark

Obverse (front), right of Washington's ribbon

Composition

2009–2009: Copper-nickel clad (75% copper, 25% nickel outer layers over a pure copper core) · 5.67 g

Did you know? The 2008-2009 recession crushed demand for new coins, so several 2009 territory quarters have the lowest circulating mintages of any quarter since the 1950s.

Beginner tip: Set aside any 2009 quarter you find — every design that year is scarcer than normal, and the DC design is worth checking for the famous doubled die on Duke Ellington's piano side.

Key dates to look for

2009-D Territories Quarters

Face value circulated; $1 – $3 uncirculated

Northern Mariana Islands — about 37.6 million made, among the lowest quarter mintages in over 50 years

2009-D Territories Quarters

Face value circulated; $1 – $3 uncirculated

American Samoa — about 39.6 million made, nearly as scarce

2009-D Territories Quarters

Normal coins face value; doubled dies $25+

District of Columbia — check every one for the doubled die on ELLINGTON

Valuable varieties & errors

2009-D District of Columbia Doubled Die Reverse ("Doubled ELL")

scarce

$25 – $200 depending on die and grade

Several Denver reverse dies for the DC quarter, which features jazz legend Duke Ellington at his piano, were hubbed with visible doubling. The strongest dies show bold doubling in the word ELLINGTON, giving the variety its nickname.

How to check: With a loupe, read ELLINGTON along the right side of the reverse. On the variety the letters ELL show clear doubled outlines, as if a second set of letters sits slightly shifted behind the first. Several dies exist, so the strength varies from coin to coin.

Error types found on this series

Doubled Die (Reverse)

Same as a doubled die obverse, but the doubling appears on the back of the coin.

Grease-Filled Die (Struck Through Grease)

Grease and debris packed into the die's recesses blocked part of the design, leaving weak or missing details.

Missing Clad Layer

A dime, quarter, or half is missing its outer silver-colored layer on one side, exposing the copper core.

Off-Center Strike

The blank wasn't centered when struck, so part of the design is missing and part of the coin is blank.

Die Crack

A crack in the die fills with metal during the strike, leaving a thin raised line on the coin.

Clipped Planchet

A bite-shaped piece of the coin is missing because the blank was punched from an already-punched part of the metal strip.

Real photos where available (credits); others are illustrations.

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