Nice coin, Lynn! These old US quarters are eagerly collected by many people. They command decent value, too, especially when they are not worn to a frazzle.

There are essentially no uncirculated seated quarters left, so their price is sky high. Typical catalog values for the most common dates are in the $500 to $1000 US dollar range when the coin grades fully uncirculated.

More down to earth, we need to talk about circulated specimens. The coin in my picture is circulated for sure. It grades G-4 (good-4) or even lower in terms of amount of wear, but the wear is even and the coloring is attractive, and that counts for a lot. Not only that, the pictured coin carries the coveted CC mint mark beneath the eagle. CC means the coin was produced at the Carson City, Nevada mint, and CC coins generally command higher values than those of other mints, although in this case it turns out that an 1877CC seated quarter is a common date.

As you say, your coin probably grades VG8 or F12. The scratches will work against value. The Grey Sheet, a conservative price guide for US coins, calls out the following values for most of these coins:

worn (numismatic grade G4): $18 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated (VF20): $32
well preserved (XF40): $70
fully uncirculated (MS62): $500

DO NOT CLEAN YOUR COIN. CLEANING RUINS VALUE.

These are catalog values. Use our Important Terminology page to understand what 'catalog value' means. If your coin looks more worn than our picture, the value goes lower by a lot.

As with most US coin series, there are a few dates and mint marks which stand out above common date coins. In the list below, the dollar value given is approximate catalog value for worn, undamaged coins that do not have spots, stains, scatches, and have not been cleaned. With less wear, the value goes up fast. If your coin is not in this list, it is a common date coin. The *better dates* are:

1849O - $300
1851O - $100
1852O - $100
1860S - $350
1864S - $200
1866 - $250
1866S - $150
1867 - $150
1867S - $100
1869 - $150
1870CC - $6500
1871CC - $1500
1871S - $200
1872CC - $450
1872S - $550
1873CC - $1500
1881 - $100
1884 - $150
1886 - $200
1887 - $150
1888 - $150
1889 - $100
1891O - $100