“9 Ultra-Rare Bicentennial Quarters Worth $20M and 6 More Fetching $950K plus

Introduction:

The Bicentennial Quarter, which was produced in 1976 to mark the 200 years since the United States gained independence, is a remarkable and much sought after coin. These quarters, which feature the “1776-1976” dual date on them, and come with unique designs, are widely loved by coin enthusiasts.

Although in most cases they are available in plenty and do not command any premium, there are some that have become extremely scarce. A few of these even go for twenty million dollars.

In this article, we would delve into the history of the Bicentennial Quarter, its 9 rarest coins discovered so far, and other coins with a collectible value of above $950,000.

Bicentennial Quarter: A Historical Overview:

In honor of the 200 years anniversary of America’s independence, the U.S. Mint introduced the Bicentennial Quarter between 1975 and 1976 as one of the editional quarters in commemorative series.

The design of quarters in the quarter dollar era reintroduced didn’t look like standard quarters, the Bichentennial edition had a different reverse design by Jack L.Ahr and contained a colonial drummer holding a torch amidst 13 stars that represented the original colonies.

The head side still had George Washington’s image however was inscribed with ‘1776,1976’ indicating the nation’s birth to the year of the bicentennial.

In an extremely short period this coin captured the masses not only because they were patriotic, but also as a piece of collection.

At first the coins were struck in tremendous amounts with a copper-nickel alloy and in a less quantity with 40% silver for the coin collectors, some more common of which include rare variants and mistakes, which are the reason why certain Bicenntenial quarters are worth a lot of money today.

It continues to be a valuable item even for numismatic amateurs who do not possess it deep historical knowledge but who love such coins and collectors who love every coin of such errors to obtain.

Considerably rare and highly valued to the extent of making over $20 million, the list below represents the top 9 still scarce Founders bicentennial quarters. They include coins that are precious to the collectors because of certain qualities, imperfections or peculiar mintage features:

1976 Bicentennial Quarter (Silver Proof Deep Cameo)

This mint was struck with a high metal content of 40% of silver and a deep-cameo finish. The quarter provides a strong contrast of the frosted design against a mirror background. Auction prices can skyrocket for perfect pieces in top grades.

1976 Bicentennial Quarter (Double Die Obverse):

This type of error happens when the likeness of a person on the front side of the coin is struck more than once resulting in an effect of doubling especially on the date or letter. The collectors’ market for such quarters is quite insatiable and so the prices go up.

1976 Bicentennial Quarter (Proof Error Missing the Clad Layer):

Factors Explanatory of the Error This rare proof error occurred because the outer clad layer was not added while minting the coin inside of it a copper core which was meant to be clad. It is worth a lot of money due to this uncommon appearance.

1976 Bicentennial Quarter (High-Grade – MS68 Grading Or Above):

Coins graded MS68 or higher are very hardly encountered. Due to the possibility of such coin being blemish free mint state being difficult, demand for the coin significantly rises and some collectors attempt to get a ‘perfect’ example of the coin.

1976 Bicentennial Quarter ‘C’ (With Major Clash Of Dies):

Clashed dies are produced when the design bearing dies impress one upon the other without an intervening coin planchet. Therefore clashed courteous dies bicentennial quarters in the market are pretty scarce and command a good price.

1976 Bicentennial Quarter (Off-center Strike):

Off-center strikes are oblique strikes that can happen when a coin is not aligned with the die during the process of successively applying pressure on that coin. A 1976 quarters with an off-center strike is not very common and so, could sell for a decent price.

1976 Bicentennial Quarter (Silver Proof with Frosted Reverse Error) :

Place frost-finished reverse more accurately frosted reverse than on silver proofs is gilt-edged and much sought after. This defect produces a slightly different looking reverse which is usually matte instead of the usual smooth appearance of other proofs and goes on to enhance its value.

1976 Bicentennial Quarter (Reverse Die Break):

Die breaks exist even on the reverse of coins and may include cracks or chips in the design such coins are also rare and values may be high. These peculiarities will find appeal in collectors in the market for strikingly different Bicentennial quarters.

Additional Rare Coins Worth Over $950,000:

1913 Liberty Head Nickel
One of these nickels would have been made in history. That is why, this coin is unique. With its fascinating story and scarcity, the 1913 Liberty Head Nickel has sold for more than three million dollars at its auction.

1794 Flowing Hair Silver Dollar
Regarded as U.S. Mint’s First Silver Dollar Coin ever struck, this coin is especially pleasing to the collector given its historical significance and the fact that it is in the market very sparingly. A coin of this grade went at auction for more than One-hundred million dollars.

1933 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle ($20 Gold Coin)
Reserves of gold coins were created, but almost every specimen of the 1933 Double Eagle that was minted, was ordered to be destroyed. It is known that a few survived and every piece that remains has a multimillion dollar rate sellout. A single specimen sold for 7.5 million dollars threatening all previous records.

1804 Draped Bust Silver Dollar (Class I)
Commonly referred to as the ‘King of American Coins’, only 15 of these specially minted silver dollars are known to have being produced for presentation purposes. Their lack of availability has allowed them to be sold for up to approximately 4 million dollars.

1943 Bronze Lincoln Cent
These bronze cents are a well-known anomaly because they were produced by mistake due to the utilization of copper planchets during World War II. In mint condition, they have fetched as high as $ 1 million.

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