1944 Quarter Error List & Value
Owning a collection of old coins may be something you would be proud of if you can find a valuable coin in it. Several old coins are highly valuable, while others are only as valuable as their face value. The same applies to the 1944 quarters, although the coins have more value than many other quarters from the same series.
If you have many 1944 quarters, it may be a good time to determine how much you can get for it. And if you are looking to buy a specific quarter to complete a series, knowing the actual worth of the coin is vital so you know how much to set aside.
A 1944 quarter value depends on its mint mark, grade, and availability. So, this article aims to explain how these factors affect the value of the coin and the rare errors that increase its demand and value.
1944 Quarter Value Chart |
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Mint Mark | Good | Fine | Extremely Fine | Uncirculated |
1944 No Mint Mark Penny Value | $4.45 | $4.45 | $9 | $16 |
1944 ‘D’ Quarter Value | $4.45 | $7 | $15 | $36 |
1944 ‘S’ Quarter Value | $4.45 | $9 | $26 | $50 |
You must know that the prices in the chart above depend on the price of silver on the market. Since the metal composition of the quarter is 90% silver and 10% copper, the melt value is quite high, especially if you have quite a number of them to sell.
The chart also shows that 1944 is quite valuable. The better the grade of the coin, the higher the value. A 1944 quarter in MS 68 grade could be as high as $260, depending on the mint mark. However, this grade is rare, and only two have ever been found and valued at $13,500 each.
Popularly known as the Washington quarter because of the face of the first president of the United States on the obverse, the 1944 quarter is only one coin in a long line of quarters in the history of the United States coinage.
There is nothing specifically unique about this coin, but it has one of the best values on the market. Interestingly, its value does not rest solely on the rare errors or unique markers but also on the demand and love for the coin. This value increases if there are rare errors.
The first Washington quarters were struck in 1932 and have remained generally the same until 1965. From the inception of the coin until 1965, the coin’s composition was mostly silver with only 10% copper to make the coin strong. After 1965, the composition changed to copper and nickel.
The primary reason for the change in the composition was the drop in the available coins in circulation. Because of the silver content, people took and hoarded the coins, making it compulsory to have more coins in circulation. Besides, the melt value of the silver was higher than the face value of the coin.
Mintage
A total of 132,116,800 quarters were minted in three mints, with the highest number of coins coming from the Philadelphia mint, which is the main branch. This number covers the regular strike coins and excludes the error coins. No Proof quarters were struck in 1944.
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The quarter has the highest mintage of all the Washington quarters struck in the first thirty years of the existence of the coins. San Francisco and Denver mints struck the rest of the coins from the year, a significantly lower combined number than the coins from the Philly mint.
Coin Condition
We cannot talk about the actual worth of the 1944 quarter without discussing the condition. The chart shows four conditions in which a coin can be. An uncirculated coin is the best category, which means the coin has a full luster and all the details are in sharp relief.
An extremely fine coin is also in great condition because most of its details are intact and the luster is still visible. However, it is not as bright or clean as the uncirculated coin, so the value is usually slightly lower than the latter. But the value can change if the coin has unique errors and other markers.
For a coin in good condition, the details are all gone and there is no luster. All you can see is the silhouette of the images on the obverse and reverse. The same applies to a coin in fine condition, except that it is somewhat better than a coin in good condition.
1944 No Mint Mark Quarter Value
Quarters struck at the Philadelphia mint have no mint mark. Since this mint struck the most number of Washington quarters in 1944, there are more coins without a mint mark than coins with a mint mark.
Interestingly, the value of the Philly coins is somewhat high, although not higher than those of the coins from the other mints. While several factors affect the actual worth, the value chart above shows that the coin can fetch good money, especially if it has errors and is in excellent condition.
An MS 67 no-mint mark coin can cost as high as $325, but this seems to be the highest grade on the market. Only two coins in a higher grade have ever surfaced on the coin market, and they sold for tens of thousands of dollars.
The coin’s obverse bears the image of the country’s first president, George Washington, from which the quarter gets its name. The image of the president faces left, which is the work of the artist John Flanagan. His ponytailed hair is visible in coins that have all the details intact.
The mint date is under the neck of the president, and the words IN GOD WE TRUST appear in front of the neck. The legend LIBERTY is near the rim at the top of the president’s head. The image takes up most of the obverse; only a few other details are on this side.
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It is the reverse of the coin that bears many details. Aso designed by John Flanagan, the reverse features an eagle balanced on arrows with its wings stretched out. A wreath of olive branches is beneath the arrows.
Around the top of the reverse are the words UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and under them is the phrase E PLURIBUS UNUM. Also, under the olive branches is the denomination QUARTER DOLLAR.
1944 D Quarter Value
The primary difference between the coins is the presence of a mint mark. For the 1944 quarter with a mint mark, you will find the mark on the reverse of the coin. It sits just above the denomination and under the olive branches.
This mint mark slightly increases the value of the coin, although not by much. Another factor that affects the value is the mintage. Denver, which is the mint that struck coins with the D mint mark, struck 14,600,800 quarters in 1944.
This number is significantly lower than the number of coins from the Philly mint. Therefore, it increases the value because of rarity. Nevertheless, the difference in the market price is not much unless the collector or buyer places more value on the coin.
1944 S Quarter Value
The San Francisco mint struck 12,560,000 Washington quarters in 1944, the lowest number of all the mints. This makes the 1944-S quarters of higher value than the rest of the coins. The lowest grade S quarter can fetch about $5 and an MS 65 coin is about $50.
There are only about 260 MS 67 1944 quarters graded by PCGS, and each coin is valued at $260. Only five MS 68 1944 quarters have been seen and evaluated at $9,500 each. A coin with a rare error can fetch an even higher amount, especially if it is in excellent condition and the collector wants something specific.
A 1944 quarter has a reeded edge and weighs about 6.30 grams. You may notice that earlier Washignton quarters do not have sharp details, but the quarters from 1944 appear clearer because the Mint changed the dies used for striking the coins.
1944 Quarter Grading
We talked a little about how the condition of a coin affects its value. The categories of a coin condition determine the value anyone places on it. A coin can be fine, good, uncirculated, or extremely fine. Each category represents the look and feel of the coin.
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But within each category is a further division that reveals the actual state of the coin under inspection. If a coin is said to be in good condition, there are several levels under this condition to differentiate one good coin from another. In other words, coins in good condition have different grades; the same applies to all the other categories.
Coin grading works with a scale, the Sheldon scale, that helps to determine the correct level. Here is a video that explains the value of the coin using quarters from the three mints and in different grades.
Rare 1944 Quarter Errors List
The following are rare errors that may change the value of any 1944 Washington quarter:
1944 Quarter Doubled Die Obverse Error
Some coins from the San Francisco, Denver, and Philadelphia mints have the doubled die obverse error. This error refers to an error on the die used to strike the blank planchet. Old coins had to be struck at least twice before the designs appear in full relief.
However, there is always the risk of movements between each strike. And if this happens, the die strikes a double image. If the error appears on the obverse, it is called a doubled die obverse error, and if it happens on the reverse, it is called a doubled die reverse error.
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The mint date and lettering on the front of some coins from the three mints carry this error. On coins with the initials of the designer at the base of the president’s neck, you may also notice a doubling, although this is not readily obvious.
1944 Quarter Re-punched Mint Mark Error
Some 1944-D quarters have a re-punched mint mark. The reason is that the original one was too challenging to spot or see. You would need a coin loupe to see it, which was inconvenient for collectors and owners. But the re-punch is obvious on the coin, making it look like an error.
1944 Quarter FAQs
Is there a rare 1944 quarter?
There are a few rare quarters from 1944. It is not easy to find a quarter graded at MS 68 or higher; only two from the Philadelphia mint and five from the Denver have ever been found and graded by PCGS. This makes coins in this grade difficult to find and hence, rare. A 1944 no-mint mark quarter sold at almost $17,000 in 202 at an auction.
Are 1944 quarters all silver?
1944 quarters are not all silver. The coins have a metal composition of 90% silver and 10% copper. In other words, the melt value is high, which caused hoarding in earlier days, before the change in composition beginning in 1965.
How much is a 1944 quarter worth with no mint mark?
The actual worth of a no-mint mark 1944 quarter depends on several factors, but most of them are below $50 in MS 65 or 66. Higher grades are difficult to find, but this rarity increases their value, sometimes to thousands of dollars. And rare errors also positively improve the worth of the coins.