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The first quarter dollar was minted in 1796,
and is a highly important coin. It was the first issue of the
quarter dollar, and the coin has attracted many buyers over the years.
The quarter dollar changed many times over the years,
and has been a great collectible in coin collecting.
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| Draped Bust Type, Small Eagle Reverse |
The Draped Bust Type quarter dollars were not minted until 1796, at which only 6,146 coins
were minted in that year. The obverse features Miss Liberty facing right, with flowing hair and a ribbon behind her head. LIBERTY is above and the date 1796 is below.
Eight stars are to the left and seven to the right. The reverse has an open wreath tied with a bow at the bottom, enclosing a small eagle perched on a cloud.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA surrounds the outer edge of the coin. The US Mint had not indicated any denomination on this coin.
The quarter dollar
was designed by Robert Scot who was the mints chief engraver
at the time. The composition of the coin was 0.8924
part silver, 0.1076 part copper, and it had a
diameter of 27.5 mm and weighed 6.7 grams. The design had a
reeded edge. The coin was minted in Philadelphia.
Draped Bust Type, Heraldic Eagle Reverse
The
Draped Bust Heraldic Type was introduced in 1804. Miss Liberty faces to the right, with a
ribbon at the back of her head, and with a garment covering her neckline.
Six stars are on the right and Seven stars are to the left. LIBERTY is above
her and the date is below. The reverse features an eagle with a shield on its breast, E PLURIBUS UNUM on a ribbon in its beak, and it
is grasping
a bundle of arrows and a branch. Above the eagle are clouds with stars below. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and 25 C surrounds
the eagle. The designer was Robert Scot, and the coin had a composition of 0.8924 silver and 0.1076 copper. The coin had a diameter of 27.5 mm,
and had a weight of 6.7 grams. The quarter dollar had a reeded edge and was minted in Philadelphia.
Capped Bust Type
 
There was a suspension of quarter dollar coinage after 1807 that lasted eight years. The quarter dollar
started being minted again in 1815, which is the time the Capped Bust Type coin was introduced. The obverse depicts Miss Liberty
facing left, wearing a cloth cap secured with a band inscribed LIBERTY. Her neckline is draped in cloth and
there are six stars to the right and seven stars are to the left. The date is below her bust. The reverse shows an eagle perched on
a branch and holding three arrows, a shield on its breast, and E PLURIBUS UNUM on a scroll above. UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA and 25 C surround the eagle. The coin was designed by John Reich. It
weighed 6.7 grams, had a composition of .8924 silver and .1076 copper, and had a diameter of 27 millimeters.
The quarter dollar had a reeded edge and was minted in Philadelphia.
Liberty Seated Type
In 1838 the Liberty Seated Type quarter dollar made its way
into a new design of the quarter dollar.The obverse depicts Miss
Liberty seated on a rock, holding the Union Shield and a
staff . The date located below Miss Liberty is
centered between opposed arrowheads. On the reverse, an
eagle with outstretched wings is perched on an olive branch,
clutching arrows and branches. Above the eagle is written IN
GOD WE TRUST, and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the
denomination expressed as QUAR. DOL surround the eagle.
Any mintmarks are found on the reverse, under the eagle. The
designer of the coin was Christian Gobrecht and the coin
weighed 6.68 grams. It had a composition of .9 silver
and .1 copper and had a diameter of 24.3 millimeters.
The coin had a reeded edge and was minted in Philadelphia
and New Orleans.
Barber/Liberty Head Type
 
The Barber/Liberty Head Type was adopted in 1892.The coin
depicts a bust of Liberty similar in style to the Morgan
Dollar but facing right. She is wearing a Liberty cap with a
laurel wreath. IN GOD WE TRUST appears above her head, and
the date appears below her neck. Six stars on the left and
seven stars on the right represent the original thirteen
colonies. The reverse has an eagle with a shield on its
breast and outstretched wings, holding an olive branch with
thirteen leaves in its right claw and a 13 arrows in its
left. There is a ribbon with the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM being
held in the eagle's beak and thirteen stars are in the
field. Charles E. Barber was the designer of the coin, and
initially was the winner of a contest design for the coin.
The coins has a weight of 6.25 grams and is composed of .9
silver and .1 copper. The coins diameter is 24.3
millimeters and has a reeded edge. The coins were
minted in Philadelphia, New Orleans, Denver, and San
Francisco.
Standing Liberty Type
 
The Standing Liberty Type was the new design of the quarter
dollar, designed by Hermon A. MacNeil. The obverse
design features A full front view of Lady Liberty,
with an olive branch in her right hand. Her left hand
is holding a shield. The inscription LIBERTY is at the top
of the obverse, with the motto IN GOD WE TRUST carved on
each side the figure of Liberty and the date below. The
reverse depicts an American eagle in full flight, with the
legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and motto E PLURIBUS UNUM
above the eagle, and the denomination QUARTER DOLLAR below.
The coins weighs 6.25 grams and is composed of .9 silver and
.1 copper. Has a diameter of 24.3 millimeters and has
a reeded edge. The coins were minted in Philadelphia,
Denver, New Orleans, and San Francisco.
Washington Type
 
The production of the
Washington Type quarter dollars began in1932, and the design
is still in use today. Washington bust faces left, with the
date below and LIBERTY above. The motto IN GOD WE TRUST is
on the left of the coin under his chin, with the designer's initials on the base
of the neck. A spread-winged eagle is on the
reverse, encircled by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and E
PLURIBUS UNUM above the eagles head, and QUARTER DOLLAR and a wreath below.
Mintmarks are found below the wreath on coins dated 1964 and
earlier, and just to the right of Washington's ribbon on
issues beginning in 1968. The designer of the coin was
John Flanagan, who was a New York sculptor. Up until
1964, the Washington Quarter Dollars were made of .9 silver
and .1 copper. and changed in 1965 to .75 copper and
.25 nickel (the inner core of the quarter was copper).
They had a diameter of 24.3 millimeters and had a reeded
edge. The coins were minted in Philadelphia, Denver,
San Francisco, and West Point.
Washington Type Bicentennial
In October of 1973, the US Treasury opened a contest for a
new design for a bicentennial quarter. Jack Ahr's Bicentennial "Drummer Boy" design appeared on the reverse
with a victory torch encircled by thirteen stars at the
upper left, with the dual-date 1776-1976 on the obverse. In 1977, the regular design returned. Beginning in 1999,
The Statehood Quarter Programs goes into effect and the Washington quarter will be changed no less than five times per year through 2008, as each of the fifty states is commemorated on the quarter's reverse.
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