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1976 Quarter Error List & Value

1976 Quarter Value

The 1976 quarter value varies a great deal. Generally, the Washington silver coins from this year are not rare, but some of them are unique. In 1976, the United States congress declared to redesign the reverse of the quarters temporarily. They wanted to do this to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Founding Fathers signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

1976 Quarter Value Chart

Series Condition MS 63 MS 65 MS 66+
1976 No mint Mark Quarter Value Uncirculated $1.25 $6 $15 – $60
1976 D Quarter Value Uncirculated $1.25 $6 $50 – $90
1976 S Proof Quarter Value Uncirculated $5
1976 S Silver Quarter Value Uncirculated $5 $7 $70 – $84
1976 Silver Proof Quarter Value Uncirculated   $8 Up to $6000

By looking at the chart above, you’ll see that the value of each coin isn’t anything that will break the bank. These coins simply exist in such large quantities that they’re not rare at all. With that said, there are always rarities within a coin series.

The 1976 coin is called the Washington Quarter, or the Bicentennial Quarter. The composition of the coin is 90% copper and 10% Nickel, like most coins after the government stopped issuing coins in silver due to the shortage.

The quarter coin struck in 1976 is a special one for many Americans, especially for collectors. Laws and regulations had to be temporarily altered and changed to be able to create commemorative coins in honor of the Independence anniversary.

This coin was struck in three different locations and five different versions. That means the quantity of this coin is close to 1.7 billion. Naturally, that affects the value of the coins. However, due to their special designs, the value can increase in good conditions.

The Washington coin series started in 1932 and lasted until 1998. The original design on the obverse and reverse were made by John Flanagan. He based his left-facing portrait of Washington on the Geroge Washington bust created by the French neoclassical sculptor Jean Antoine Houdon.

While the obverse on the 1976 coin remains the same, the reverse has an entirely new design and unusual look to it. The design of the reverse was decided on competition, like many other coins. The winner was Jack L Ahr. One of the key differences in the production process of this coin was that it started a year earlier, in 1975.

The reason for this was to make sure to expose the public to the coin as much as possible to avoid hoarding upon release. The Kennedy half-dollar had this problem as it was released to the public some years earlier. Kennedy was a popular President and after his death when the coin was released, many people were hoarding the coin instead of spending it. The Treasury was forced to create several more million coins and release them into circulation to even out the flow of the coins.

1976 No Mint Mark Quarter Value

1976 No Mint Mark Quarter Value
Credit: usacoinbook

The anniversary coin kept the traditional John Flanagan obverse design. The reverse, on the other hand, was created by Jack L Ahr.

Five different versions of the 1976 quarter were minted that year. Most of them were struck in Denver. This is a bit unusual. The main mint is located in Philadelphia. Generally, no single mint outperforms them when it comes to quantity.

This mint series has an unusual date. Regularly, the coins contain one date: the year this singular coin was minted. The Bicentennial quarter has two years on it. The coin reads: “1976-1976” right underneath George Washington’s neck.

The rest of the 1976 coin’s obverse remains the same as the original design. There is a left-facing George Washington in the center. In front of him, underneath his chin are the words “In God We Trust” written – typical for many coins. Above his head, near the upper rim, is the word “liberty” written. This is also common for American coins.

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The classical reverse has a rather special design. This design is very busy and does not leave much empty space. In the center is a great bald eagle with its wings spread. The wingspan is large and comes close to both sides.

Like many other coins, the Latin phrase “E Pluribus Unum” is inscribed above the eagle’s head. The phrase translates to “out of many, one” referring to the many states uniting under one nation.

The Bicentennial Quarter, on the other hand, has a completely renewed design. Rather than feature the traditional bald eagle, this coin was designed with a drummer from the revolutionary days in the center.

The drummer carries the drum in front of him. He has one drumstick in each hand and he’s in a playing motion. He also wears a traditional tricorne hat which was popular during the revolutionary times.

To the left of the drummer’s shoulder is a lit torch surrounded by stars. Stars, in an American context, often refer to individual states. The torch resembles the one Lady Liberty holds in her hand in the Statue of Liberty.

Similar to the original design, the denomination of the coin is outlined along the bottom rim. Stretching from the left side to the right side, and going above the drummer, are the words “United States of America” outlined.

Like with many coins minted in Philadelphia, at this time, it has no mint mark. Usually, to know where the coin was produced, each coin is marked with a letter, or letter combination to reveal its production location. These marks can be found on either the obverse or the reverse, depending on the exact series of the coin.

This coin also exists in a rather large number of 800 million. Its weight comes in at 5.67 grams with a diameter of 24.26mm. The edge is reeded.

The average 1976 quarter value is close to its face value. Low-graded coins are worth $0.25. Higher grading ones will increase a bit to reach close to $1. 1976 quarters with no mint mark rarely reach a significant value over hundreds or even thousands of dollars like some other coins within this 1976 series.

1976 D Quarter Value

1976 D Quarter Value

The production usually doesn’t outperform the main mint in Philadelphia. Denver produced around 860 million in 1976 quarters, which is a staggering number. The value of this coin is similar to the ones produced in Philadelphia in the lower MS grades.

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As soon as you get above MS 66 their differences appear more clearly. An MS grading of 68+ can give a coin a value of nearly $100. Uncirculated MS69+ quarters can reach a worth of $3000 – $4000.

In 2017, the 1976 D Washington quarter was sold for $6.463 at an auction.

The mint mark “D” can be found behind George Washington’s neck and hair bow. The location of the mint mark on the Bicentennial quarters is the same as the others in the Washington quarter series.

1976 S Proof Quarter Value

1976 S Proof Quarter Value

Sometimes there are proof coins that have a content makeup different than the regular coin for circulation. This often involves silver content (even after became copper/nickel coins).

In the case of 1976 proof coins, two versions were made. Some out of silver and some with regular copper and nickel composition. Both versions can be extremely valuable, but the silver will generally be worth much more.

A large number of “regular” proofs were produced – over 7 million. Proof coins are minted specifically for collectors. They’re not meant to see public circulation and be used as tender in a monetary transaction. Although they are legal tender.

But, this is how so many of these proof coins still exist in great condition. The 1976 S proof coins were minted in San Francisco. Like all kinds of proof coins, they are more detailed and have a better glow and luster to them compared to the regular coin used as actual money.

The value of this S Proof coin can be quite high. An Auction in 2010 had this particular coin type sold for $6000. The same coin has also been sold for $63 in 2004.

1976 S Silver Proof Quarter Value

1976 S Silver Proof Quarter Value

The value of the silver coin is naturally higher than the previous ones we’ve looked at, simply due to the silver content. This coin is also significantly less common than those coins.

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It’s also the rare type of 1976 proof quarters. 4 million of these silver proofs were minted in San Francisco. The mint mark is the letter “S”, for San Francisco, in the same place as before – behind the neck of Washington.

The value of the 1976 S silver coin, at the higher grading levels, can reach a few thousand dollars. Despite experts determining the value of a rare coin of this year to be quite valuable, one seller on eBay sold it for only $6 in the year 2022. A few years earlier, the same coin series was sold for $19.200.

1976 Quarter Gradings

If it’s not a very particular uniqueness to a coin through an error, the value of coins comes from how they’re graded.

Low-grading coins have been in circulation for a long time and lost most of their essence. There is a lack of detail, maybe even damaged and not particularly smooth.

The higher the grade, the better condition the coin will be in. A “Fine” or “very fine” grade is not a perfect coin, but it has maintained significant levels of detail or specific areas.

As we reach the top-level coins, the MS 68-70, or proof coins of PR 70, then the coin must be near perfect. These uncirculated coins have kept all the detail and show no signs to wear and tear by the naked eye.

Rare 1976 Quarter Error

Normally errors are a negative thing in production. For coin collectors, it’s the opposite. An error makes a coin much more unique and interesting. Here are some of the errors that occurred during the production of the 1976 bicentennial quarters.

1976 Quarter Struck on the wrong planchet

1976 Quarter Struck on the wrong planchet
Credit: coinworld

As you’ve seen throughout this article, different coins have different compositions. We’ve seen varieties within the 1976 coin. Some are made of copper and nickel, and others of more silver.

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This is true for other coin denominations. There have been cases of a 1976 quarter struck on the planchet of a dime.

1976 Quarter Cloth Error

We’ve seen particular coins where a piece of cloth got stuck in between the planchet and the die, resulting in a coth-patterned 1976 quarter coin.

1976 Quarter Doubled Die Strike

1976 Quarter Doubled Die Strike
Credit: PCGS

This error happens when, for whatever reason, the design of the coin was struck on top of a fully struck coin. This results in a doubling of the image.

1976 Quarter FAQ

What is the 1976 silver quarter worth?

The value can range between a couple of dollars to hundreds of dollars. The condition of the coins, or whether or not there are any significant and interesting errors on them, determines their value.

What makes a 1976 quarter rare?

Perfections or Imperfections. There are close to 2 billion quarters from 1976, which means these coins are not rare at all. However, a coin in perfect mint condition can be worth thousands of dollars. Coins with particular striking errors can also be worth a small fortune when bought by the right person.

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