US Seated Liberty Quarter 1838 to 1891

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* ($200 and up) are:

1842O (small date) - $750 approximate catalog value when worn
1849O - $700
1851O - $220
1852O - $270
1853 (no arrows) - $300
1854O (huge O) - $850
1859S - $200
1860S - $450
1864S - $500
1866 - $500
1866S - $325
1867 - $275
1867S - $350
1869 - $300
1870CC - $10,000
1871CC - $3300
1871S - $475
1872CC - $1500
1872S - $800
1873CC (with arrows) - $3000
1873CC (no arrows) - only five specimens known!
1881 - $200
1882 - $220
1883 - $240
1884 - $230
1885 - $200
1886 - $300
1887 - $215
1888 - $200
1891O - $215

The 'decent' dates (less than $200) are:

1841 - $50 approximate catalog value when worn
1842 (large date) - $75
1850O - $45
1856S - $90
1857S - $115
1858S - $90
1861S - $180
1862S - $65
1864 - $65
1865 - $70
1865S - $100
1855S - $50
1868 - $145
1868S - $100
1869S - $120
1870 - $50
1875CC - $115
1878S - $160
1879 - $180
1880 - $175
1889 - $185
1890 - $60
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