Statehood Quarters: U.S. Mint State Quarters Program and the Delaware Quarter

Posted by Andrew Adamo on Mar 11th 2024

U.S. Mint Statehood Quarters

From 1999 to 2009, the U.S. Mint issued 56 different quarter dollars (Statehood Quarters) – one for each U.S. state and territory plus the District of Columbia. These coins were issued at the rate of five per year and were issued in the order in which each state was admitted to the union when it ratified the U.S. Constitution.

The statehood quarter program literally reshaped the entire landscape of American numismatics by reinvigorating interest in collecting coins from circulation, In fact, a 2005 Mint survey found that 147 million Americans, or about half the population at the time, collected these quarters to one degree or another.

Moreover, statehood quarters helped spur a stronger market for coins because people putting aside the new quarters often became interested in other coins too.

Unlike past coins, these were the first circulating commemorative coin program of the U.S. Mint. As former U.S. Mint Director Jay Johnson has said, “Is it a circulating coin or a commemorative coin? It’s both, it’s two, it’s two coins in one!”

AUCTION RECORD: $10,200 • MS67 • 10-24-2006

Statehood Quarters Popular designs

Statehood Quarters featured original designs on each coin that celebrated the history, traditions and other aspects of each state. Designs featuring busts, state seals, state flags, logotypes and those depicting living people or organizations whose memberships are not universal were all prohibited.

At the time, the designs on both sides of the Washington quarter had not changed in decades apart from the 1776-1976 bicentennial program, creating a real hunger for new designs.

They designs were embraced warmly by the public and in many cases by collectors and numismatists too, though some had concerns that they lacked enough relief or were too simple. They were created by outside and U.S. Mint artists, which were then turned into coins after a U.S. Mint sculptor-engraver created a sculpt of the design.

As a result of some criticism about the Mint employing outside artists to design some of the coins, Mint officials decided not to put the designer’s initials on the coins but to only feature the initials of the sculptors. That practice changed in 2005, and today both the designers and the sculptors are given credit by featuring their initials on U.S. coins.

The state quarter program paved the way for the various circulating coin programs that followed it, which include not just the America the Beautiful series of national parks quarters but also the Presidential and Sacagawea/Native American dollar programs and the redesign of the Lincoln cent and Jefferson nickel. Even the current American Women quarters and American Innovation dollar coins (the latter do not circulate) were also only possible because of the way the state quarters paved the way for coins with new designs on their reverses.

The idea of issuing circulating commemorative coins was inspired in part by the Royal Canadian Mint’s 1992 quarter series for the 125th anniversary of the confederation of Canada.

This program was the brainchild of former U.S. Representative Michael Castle (R-DE), who introduced in the summer of 1996, H.R. 3793, the 50 States Commemorative Coin program that was later renamed the 50 State Quarters program, which was registered with a trademark to prevent private companies from issuing such coins. The program was signed into law by President William J. Clinton in December 1997, becoming Public Law 105-124.

Numismatists mostly embraced the concept for this program, but many remained cautious because of the failures of past programs like the Susan B. Anthony dollar, which was not embraced by the public.

Most successful coin program

The State quarters were by far the most successful coin program in U.S. history for the Mint and for the numismatic hobby in several ways.

The program generated a whopping $6.3 billion in seigniorage, or the difference between the cost to make a coin and its face value, plus $470 million in numismatic sales. These results were related to the fact that the U.S. economy at the time was booming because of the dot com revolution, which meant that a lot more quarters would need to be minted for use in circulation. This led the Mint to continue to ramp up mintages for the state quarters. In total, an amazing 34.8 billion quarters were struck, which led the Mint to ship almost 20 billion more of these coins than they did in the previous decade.

In 2007, the program was extended from the 50 state to include the five U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. By the final year of the program in 2009, the economy was in the midst of one of the worst economic crises in our history caused by the collapse of the housing market, which led the Mint to keep reducing mintages at this time. That led to a drop from an average of about 700 million for each state quarter to just 35.2 million of the Northern Marianna Islands quarter.

Another aspect of the program’s success is related to process used to select designs for the statehood quarters. It varied from state to state with some giving the governor the final authority to select a design subject to final approval by the Treasury Secretary and others giving the public a larger role in the process.

Statehood Quarters Errors

There are several collectible error coins within the Statehood Quarters series that have captured the interest of numismatists and collectors alike. Error coins occur due to mishaps in the minting process, and some of these mistakes can significantly increase the value of the coin due to their rarity and the fascination they hold for collectors. Here are a few notable error types found in the Statehood Quarters series:

Off-Center Strikes: These errors happen when the coin blank (planchet) is not properly centered in the press, resulting in a coin that is partially missing its design. Off-center strikes vary in collectibility based on how off-center they are, with more dramatically misaligned coins being more valued.
Die Cracks and Cuds: Die cracks occur when fissures form in the coin's die, resulting in raised lines on the coin. A cud is a more significant type of die crack that results in a raised, unstruck area on the coin. Both can add interest and value to a Statehood Quarter.
Double Dies: This error occurs when a coin's design is stamped twice by the die, slightly misaligned, resulting in a noticeable doubling of elements of the design. Double die errors are among the most sought-after by collectors.
Wrong Planche Material: Occasionally, a quarter might be struck on a planchet intended for another denomination, such as a penny or a nickel. These errors are very rare and highly collectible.
2004-D Wisconsin Extra Leaf Quarters: One of the most famous errors in the Statehood Quarters series involves the 2004-D Wisconsin quarter. There are two variations of this error: the "High Leaf" and "Low Leaf" versions, referring to an additional, unintended leaf on the ear of corn on the coin's reverse. These errors are highly sought after and can command significant premiums.
2005 Minnesota Extra Tree Quarters: Another well-known error involves the 2005 Minnesota quarter, which can be found with extra trees on the reverse design. These are categorized as "Extra Tree" errors and have several variations based on the number and placement of the trees.

Delaware quarter value

The state of Delaware – the second smallest state in the union -- was the first one to ratify the U.S. Constitution in 1787. The quarters featuring this state were the first one struck and released by the U.S. Mint into circulation on January 4, 1999, launching the state quarter series.

Delaware quarters were struck in clad for circulation and in silver and clad for collectors. The regular clad quarters were struck at the Philadelphia Mint to the tune of 373,400,000 and at the Denver Mint, which produced 401,424,000. In addition, 3,713,359 proof clad coins were produced at the San Francisco Mint and issued in a set of the five 1999 state quarters, which became a hot item at the time despite having a high mintage.

As for the silver coins, they were struck in proof by the San Francisco Mint too with 804,565 made, a very popular first year of issue coin that is still coveted by collectors, and which was also issued in a set of the five 1999 silver proof quarters.

The obverse of these statehood quarters feature the same John Flanagan portrait of George Washington with some modifications, including to the hair that is more detailed (with many curls added) on the state quarters than the prior Washington quarters. The inscriptions were also revised by moving those on the original reverse used until 1998 to the obverse to make room for the new reverse designs on each coin. The Mint had William Cousins prepare the new dies, and his initials were added to those of John Flanagan on the neck truncation, which became “JFWC”.

The reverse features one of the most popular designs of the series showing Caesar Rodney riding horsebackand headed left on his famous 80-mile ride to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the seat of the Continental Congress. Rodney was ill at the time of his journey, but when he arrived he cast the deciding vote by the Congress calling for independence from England.

While the design is sometimes credited to art teacher Eddy Seger, officials from Delaware note that six different sketches by him and other artists were used to create the design, which was later sculpted by then U.S. Mint sculptor-engraver William Cousins, whose initials appear on the left side of the reverse under the inscription, “Caesar Rodney”.

Citizens from the state were invited to submit their ideas for the new quarters, which developed three of these into designs that included a Miss Liberty and quill and pen design besides the one with Rodeny on horseback. The state’s governor, Thomas Carper, conducted an email and telephone poll. Of the 1,519 votes, almost two-thirds were for the Rodney design.

On December 7, 1998, the Philadelphia Mint held a first strike ceremony for the Delaware quarter that was dubbed “Delaware Day” with officials from the U.S. Mint and U.S. Treasury, the state of Delaware and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.

How much are Delaware quarters worth?

1999-P: This coin starts at $3-5 for those that grade MS-60 to MS-65, $12 in MS-66, $28 in MS-67 and then jumps a lot to $1,250 for the highest known grade of MS-69 with only one coinhaving received this grade by PCGS.

The 1999-D values are similar to those for the P coins but at the MS-68 level they are worth more at $72, and at the top grade of MS-69 they are estimated to be worth a remarkable $9,500 except that none of these coins have received that grade. There is just one MS-68 coin at PCGS. The highest price paid to date is for an MS-64 example that sold in 2003 for $1,380.

As for the clad proofs, they are worth $10 in PF-68, $18 in PF-69 and $60 in PF-70. 655 coins have been graded PF-70 Deep Cameo.

The silver proofs start at $10 and are worth $13 in PF-65, $15 in PF-67, $24 in PF-69 and then jump to $675 in PF-70. Over 10,000 examples have been graded PF-69 but only 717 at PF-70.

Statehood Quarters FAQ

The Statehood Quarters program, also known as the 50 State Quarters program, was a popular initiative by the United States Mint that ran from 1999 to 2008. Each of the 50 U.S. states was commemorated with a unique quarter design, released in the order that the states ratified the Constitution or were admitted to the Union.

What are Statehood Quarters?
- Statehood Quarters are a series of 25-cent pieces (quarters) issued by the United States Mint from 1999 to 2008. Each quarter features a unique design on the reverse representing one of the 50 U.S. states. The program aimed to celebrate each state's history, traditions, and symbols.
How many Statehood Quarters are there?
- There are 50 Statehood Quarters in the series, one for each state. Five new designs were released each year over the course of the 10-year program.
What is the order of release for the Statehood Quarters?
- The Statehood Quarters were released in the order that the states ratified the Constitution or were admitted into the Union. The program began in 1999 with Delaware, the first state to ratify the Constitution, and ended in 2008 with Hawaii, the last state admitted to the Union as of the program's conclusion.
Are Statehood Quarters worth anything?
- Most Statehood Quarters are worth their face value of 25 cents in circulated condition. However, uncirculated coins, special editions, and error coins can be worth more to collectors. Some rare error coins have fetched significant sums in the collector market.
What are some of the rarest Statehood Quarters?
- Some of the rarer Statehood Quarters include error coins such as the 2004-D Wisconsin extra leaf quarters (both the "High Leaf" and "Low Leaf" varieties) and the 2005 Minnesota quarter with extra tree errors. These can be worth significantly more than face value.
Can Statehood Quarters still be found in circulation?
- Yes, Statehood Quarters can still be found in circulation, although finding specific states or obtaining coins in uncirculated condition becomes more challenging as time goes on.
How were the designs for the Statehood Quarters chosen?
- The designs for the Statehood Quarters were chosen through a combination of state input and public contests, with final approval from the state governor and the U.S. Treasury Secretary. The designs were intended to reflect the history, heritage, and symbols significant to each state.
What comes after the Statehood Quarters program?
- Following the completion of the Statehood Quarters program, the U.S. Mint launched the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories Quarters program in 2009, which included six additional designs. This was followed by the America the Beautiful Quarters program starting in 2010, featuring national parks and sites.
Are there any silver editions of the Statehood Quarters?
- Yes, the U.S. Mint also produced silver proof sets of the Statehood Quarters. These coins were made of 90% silver and 10% copper, primarily intended for collectors.