Quarter Dollar · 1999–2008

50 State Quarters

A restyled Washington portrait faces left with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA above and QUARTER DOLLAR below, moved from the reverse to make room for the state designs. A unique design for each of the 50 states, released five per year in the order the states joined the Union.

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

1999–2008: Copper-nickel clad (75% copper, 25% nickel outer layers over a pure copper core) · 5.67 g

Did you know? The State Quarters program pulled an estimated 140 million Americans into checking their change, making it the most successful coin program in US history.

Beginner tip: Any Wisconsin quarter with a D deserves a loupe — the Extra Leaf varieties are the treasure of this series, and they were found in ordinary rolls.

Key dates to look for

1999-S State Quarters

$20 – $40 per silver proof coin

First-year silver proofs had the lowest silver-proof mintage of the program

2004-D State Quarters

Normal coins face value; Extra Leaf coins $40+

Wisconsin — the date and mint to check for the famous Extra Leaf varieties

2008-D State Quarters

Face value circulated; $1 – $3 uncirculated

Oklahoma had the lowest circulating mintage of the whole program

Valuable varieties & errors

1999-P Connecticut Broadstruck

scarce

$25 – $100

A batch of Connecticut quarters was struck without the retaining collar, letting the metal spread wider than normal. Enough escaped the Mint that this is the best-known broadstrike in the series.

How to check: The coin looks stretched: noticeably wider than a normal quarter, with a flat, blank rim and no reeding on the edge. The Charter Oak design is complete but the outer lettering sits unusually far from the edge.

2004-D Wisconsin Extra Leaf High

rare

$50 – $300 depending on grade

Some Denver Wisconsin quarters show an extra leaf on the corn stalk that is not part of the design, likely from a die gouge or deliberate die alteration. Discovered in Tucson rolls, it became a national news story.

How to check: On the reverse, find the ear of corn left of the cheese wheel. On this variety an extra leaf points upward from the left side of the corn, its tip reaching high toward the ear. A normal Wisconsin quarter has no leaf touching that spot at all.

2004-D Wisconsin Extra Leaf Low

rare

$40 – $250 depending on grade

The companion to the Extra Leaf High: a different die shows an extra leaf drooping lower on the corn stalk. Both varieties are listed by PCGS and NGC and were found together in Arizona.

How to check: Check the left side of the corn ear on the reverse. On this variety the extra leaf curves downward, hanging low toward the cheese wheel instead of reaching up. If there is no extra leaf at all, the coin is normal and worth face value.

2005-P Minnesota Extra Tree Doubled Die Reverse

scarce

$25 – $150 for strong examples

Dozens of doubled reverse dies were used on Philadelphia Minnesota quarters, the strongest of which appear to add an entire extra evergreen tree to the treeline. It is the most abundant doubled-die family of the program.

How to check: With a loupe, study the trees to the right of the state outline, near the fisherman. On the strongest dies a distinct extra tree shape sits beside the tall spruce where the normal design shows open space. Weaker dies show only blurry partial trees and are worth much less.

2005-P Kansas "IN GOD WE RUST"

scarce

$25 – $100 depending on how completely the T is missing

Grease packed into the obverse die blocked the T of TRUST on many Kansas quarters, so the motto reads IN GOD WE RUST. It is a cheap, funny, genuinely collectible error that beginners love finding.

How to check: Read the motto to the left of Washington on the front of a 2005-P Kansas quarter. On the error the first T of TRUST is weak or completely missing, so it reads WE RUST. The same greasy dies also produced 'humpback bison' Kansas quarters with a break across the buffalo's back.

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.

Broadstrike

The coin was struck without its retaining collar, so it spread out wider and thinner than normal.

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.

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.

Die Crack

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

Improperly Annealed Planchet

A heat-treatment mistake turned the blank's surface an unusual color — most famously the coppery-red 'sintered' state quarters and dollars.

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

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