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Standing Liberty
Quarter Dollar |
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1916-1930
The year was 1916. World World I was raging in
Europe, and the political climate in the United States was
definitely guarded. Nine years earlier, President Theodore
Roosevelt had initiated using classical design motifs for our
gold coins, and now, as the Coinage Act of 1890 had
authorized, it was time to change the smaller silver coins.
U.S. Mint Chief Engraver Charles Barber's "uninspired" design
had marked the quarter, dime and half dollar for the preceding
quarter century, and the public was ready for something
different. It was the perfect opportunity to issue a coin
that, as a contemporary government report put it, "was
intended to typify in a measure the awakening interest of the
country to it's own protection."
Thus, the Standing Liberty quarter was born. As was the case
with the other new coinage, a competition was held to select
the design. The artist chosen was a prominent sculptor of the
day, Hermon Atkins MacNeil, who was known for his works
dealing with Indians and American history, particularly on
public buildings and monuments.
MacNeil's obverse design features a standing, frontal view of
Liberty, a portrayal reminiscent of ancient Greek sculpture.
Her left arm is upraised, bearing a shield in a posture of
protection. Being drawn from the shield by her right hand is a
drapery, while this same hand offers up an olive branch. A
mixed message certainly, but one that told our European
neighbors we were ready for anything, war or peace. The
inscription LIBERTY is at the top of the obverse, the date
below, with the motto IN GOD WE TRUST flanking the figure of
Liberty.
The reverse of this type, as mandated by law, depicts an
American eagle, here shown in full flight. The legend UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA and motto E PLURIBUS UNUM are above, while
the denomination QUARTER DOLLAR is below. The final product
seems to reflect the influence of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who
was the most famous sculptor of the time and, some years
earlier, a mentor for Mr. MacNeil.
The first coins came off the presses December 16, 1916, and
the series continued through 1930, during which time over 226
million coins were struck at three different mints:
Philadelphia (no mintmark), San Francisco (S), and Denver (D).
The mintmark can be found just to the left of the date, while
the designer's initial M is to the right. No coins were struck
in 1922, and no proofs were authorized, although several
satin-finish proofs of 1916 and 1917 are reported to exist.
There are two major subtypes of the Standing Liberty quarter,
Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 was issued for only two years,
1916-1917, as there was some concern over Liberty's bared
breast. In 1917, the design was modified, and the offending
feature was from then on covered with chain mail. Type 2,
issued from 1917 through 1930, was substantially reworked, but
the most evident changes were the repositioning of the stars
on the reverse along with the chain mail on Miss Liberty
mentioned earlier. Other, less obvious changes included a
smoothing of the fields and a pronounced curvature to the
dies. Both Type 1 and Type 2 quarters were produced by all
three mints during 1917.
The obverse also underwent a minor change beginning with the
coinage of 1925, which some consider a subtype. The date was
one of the higher features on earlier coins so that it wore
off too rapidly. Circulated quarters of the 1917-24 period are
consequently scarce with readable dates. To remedy this
situation, the date area was recessed for all further coinage.
As one of our most beautiful coin designs, the Standing
Liberty quarter is very popular with collectors today. The
series is collected in its entirety by date and mint or as
part of a 20th Century type set. Unlike many other series, it
is still possible to complete a full set in uncirculated
condition-a valuable treasure that very few people will have
the pleasure of owning.
One of the key dates for the series is the issue dated 1916.
With a mintage of only 52,000 pieces, it has always been
sought by collectors. However, it does exist in larger numbers
than one would expect. As with any new design, both collectors
and the general public saved numerous examples. Original
rolls, though expensive, were still available as late as the
1950s.
The rarest Standing Liberty quarter is a Type 2 issue, the
famous 1918/7-S overdate. Created when two differently dated
hubs were used to prepare a single obverse die, the error was
not discovered by numismatists until a number of years later,
long after most of the coins had entered circulation. This
coin is rare in all grades, but especially so in the higher
ranges of mint state. The mintage figure for this interesting
variety is unknown, but obviously miniscule. For years, one
saw many otherwise complete sets that lacked only the overdate.
It's literally one of the most desirable collector coins of
the 20th Century.
Other less rare but still challenging dates in high grade are
1920-S, 1926-S and the toughest date to find with a fully
struck head on the Liberty figure, 1927-S. No coins in this
series can actually be called common in gem condition, but
1917 Type 1 and 1930 quarters appear in full-head gem
uncirculated condition most frequently. Many other issues are
periodically available in gem condition, but not very often
with a full head.
When grading this design, the points to inspect carefully on
the obverse are Liberty's right knee and the center of the
shield. On the reverse, the eagle's breast and left wing will
first show wear. Coins graded "full head" are much scarcer
than those without this feature fully struck, but this
classification has more to do with the quality of the strike
than with grade. To qualify for this designation, the coin
must exhibit the following three features: three leaves in
Liberty's hair must be totally visible, the hairline along
Liberty's brow must be complete and the ear indentation must
be evident. Collectors will pay substantially more for these
fully struck specimens.
Only in production for fifteen years, the Standing Liberty
quarter was to suffer an early demise. 1932 marked the 200th
anniversary of George Washington's birth, and a new quarter
dollar featuring his portrait was introduced as a circulating
commemorative. Though no longer made in silver for
circulation, the Washington quarter is still being minted
today.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Diameter: 24.3 millimeters
Weight: 6.25 grams
Composition: .900 silver, .100 copper
Edge: Reeded
Net Weight: .18084 ounce pure silver
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1917
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1919
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1925
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1927-O
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1929
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1930
USA Quarters STANDING LIBERTY Quarter Dollar 1923
1926 STANDING LIBERTY QUARTER DOLLAR SILVER
1929 Standing Liberty Quarter Dollar, Grade G
ROLL 40 STANDING LIBERTY SILVER QUARTER DOLLAR COINS NR
1925 Standing Liberty Quarter Dollar, Almost Good
1929 Standing Liberty Quarter Dollar, Good Condition
VERY NICE - 1925 Standing Liberty Quarter Dollar
1927S Standing Liberty Quarter Dollar 25 cents
1925 P STANDING LIBERTY QUARTER DOLLAR 1925-P 1925P #2
1926 S STANDING LIBERTY QUARTER DOLLAR 1926-S 1926S #2
1927 D STANDING LIBERTY QUARTER DOLLAR 1927-D 1927D #2
1930 P STANDING LIBERTY QUARTER DOLLAR 1930-P 1930P #2
AWESOME 1920-S STANDING LIBERTY QUARTER DOLLAR RPM AU
STANDING LIBERTY Quarter Dollar ---NO DATE
1920-S LIBERTY STANDING SILVER QUARTER DOLLAR 1920S
1928 S Silver Standing Liberty Quarter Dollar
1918 Standing Liberty Quarter Dollar
1928 Standing Liberty Quarter Dollar
1917 TY2 AU BU Standing Liberty Quarter Dollar S0807
Pre 1925? Standing Liberty Quarter Dollar Circulated
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