1977 Quarter Values
Did you know that there is a rare 1977 silver quarter worth more than $4,900?
Heck, even some regular clad 1977 quarters can be worth hundreds — or thousands — of dollars!
How do you know if you’ve got one of these rare and valuable 1977 quarters worth a lot of money?
In this article, I’m going to tell you exactly which features you should be looking for on 1977 quarters — if you’re searching for the most valuable ones. And I’ll also give you a rundown of all the current values for 1977 quarters.
Fun Facts About The 1977 Quarter
The 1977 quarter has a portrait of Revolutionary War general and first United States president George Washington on the obverse (“heads side”) and a heraldic eagle on the reverse (“tails side”).
The Washington quarter was originally designed by John Flanagan in 1932 and has seen some changes over the years…
The first major change came in 1965, when the United States Mint ceased making circulating quarters from the 90% silver composition with which the coin was made for decades.
The next major modification was a temporary one that came in 1975, with the 2-year commemorative design honoring the United States bicentennial in 1976. There were no 1975-dated quarters made — only those bearing the date 1776-1976 recognizing the nation’s 200th birthday. All 1776-1976 Bicentennial quarters carry a special reverse design showing a colonial drummer boy.
The 1977 Washington quarter was the first since 1974 to carry the original heraldic eagle design ordinarily seen on quarters in those days. The United States Mint continued making quarters with the heraldic eagle design until 1999, when the first of several commemorative quarter programs began.
With the exception of a rare silver quarter error (discussed later in this article), all 1977 quarters were made with a copper-nickel clad composition and should weigh 5.67 grams.
Here are the best coin scales to weigh your coins. You’ll also want to grab a coin magnifier and a copy of the U.S. Coin Grading Standards book — to see the value of all your coins.
Now, let’s talk about the current value of 1977 U.S. quarters.
How Much Is A 1977 Quarter Worth Today?
There are 3 types of 1977 quarters, and each has a different value. Which of the following best describes your coin?…
1977 Quarter Value (No Mintmark)
The 1977 quarter with no mintmark (or mint letter stamp) was struck at the Philadelphia Mint to the tune of 468,556,000 pieces. The Philadelphia Mint did not strike coins with a mintmark in those days — so a 1977 quarter with no mintmark is totally normal and is not an error.
Since most circulated (aka “worn”) 1977 quarters without a mintmark don’t contain any errors or varieties, are quite common, and are made with inexpensive base metals… they are generally worth only their face value of 25 cents.
However, uncirculated 1977 quarters with no mintmark that show no wear are worth more. The typical 1977 uncirculated quarter is worth $1 to $5.
The most valuable 1977 no mintmark quarter was graded MS67+ by Professional Coin Grading Service and sold for $2,550 in a 2021 auction.
1977-D Quarter Value
The 1977 quarter with a “D” mintmark was struck at the Denver Mint, which produced 256,524,978 quarters that year.
Most 1977-D quarters are worth face value of 25 cents if worn and without errors or varieties (pretty much all of the 1977 quarters you’re going to find in pocket change).
If you happen upon an uncirculated 1977 quarter that was never used as money, it is generally worth $1 to $5.
The most valuable 1977-D quarter was graded MS67 by Professional Coin Grading Service and sold for $431 in a 2007 auction.
1977-S Quarter Value
Not all 1977 quarters were made for circulation to be used as money. Some were struck just for coin collectors. In 1977, the San Francisco Mint struck a relatively small number of quarters for this very purpose. These quarters have an “S” mintmark on the front of the coin — it’s located to the right of Washington’s hair tie.
The 1977 proof quarters were made with highly polished blanks and intentionally struck twice by specially prepared dies on high-tonnage presses to help bring up every last detail.
There were 3,251,152 of these 1977-S quarters made — with all of them being sold in proof sets for collectors.
Most 1977-S quarters are worth $2 to $5, though some are worth more.
The most valuable 1977-S quarter was graded PR70DCAM by Professional Coin Grading Service and sold for $575 at a 2006 auction.
Rare 1977 Error Quarters And Their Values
There are many kinds of valuable errors and varieties on 1977 quarters that are worth looking for in your spare change today!
Here are some of the most popular 1977 quarter errors and their values:
1977-D Silver Quarter Error
When the 1776-1976 Bicentennial quarters were being struck, some were produced at the San Francisco Mint in a special 40% silver format for collectors. However, some of these silver planchets were somehow processed by the Denver Mint — which inadvertently struck some 1977-dated quarters on 40% silver blanks intended only for the 1976 quarters!
These very rare 1977-D silver quarter errors are worth thousands of dollars… or more. One that was graded EF40 Details (cleaned) by Numismatic Guaranty Company sold for a whopping $4,935 in 2016.
1977 Doubled Die Quarter Error
Many people know about doubled dies — which are a rare type of error variety that was struck by a die impressed with two incarnations of the same image.
Obscure doubled dies tend to be worth less than drastic ones (like the 1955 doubled die penny).
There aren’t any major doubled dies known to exist among 1977 quarters, but minor ones can be worth anywhere from $25 to $50… or more.
1977 Off-Center Quarter Error
Talk about drastic errors… Few are more eye-popping than off-center coins!
These are accidentally made when the coin isn’t centered correctly between the dies on the press.
One of the most characteristic things about an off-center error is that part of the design is missing on both sides of the coin. Generally speaking, at least 2% or 3% of the design needs to be missing in order for the coin to be worth anything as an off-center error.
A 1977 quarter with an off-center error showing 10% or 20% of the design missing can be worth $25 or more.
The most valuable 1977 off-center error quarters are those that are missing about 50% of their design yet still show a complete date. Such an off-center error quarter could trade for $150 to $250 or more.
1977 Broadstrike Quarter Error
Find a 1977 quarter with no ridges or lines on the edge, but it’s the diameter of a regular quarter — 24.3 millimeters? Most likely, it is just a damaged coin or one that is exhibiting heavy wear from longtime use in vending machines and other types of circulation — and worth face value of 25 cents.
But if you find a 1977 quarter with smooth edges and it looks a little wider and thinner than normal, it may be a broadstrike error! A 1977 broadstrike quarter is usually worth about $20.
READ NEXT: A List Of All Rare U.S. Quarters
I’m the Coin Editor here at TheFunTimesGuide. My love for coins began when I was 11 years old. I primarily collect and study U.S. coins produced during the 20th century. I’m a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG) and have won multiple awards from the NLG for my work as a coin journalist. I’m also the editor at the Florida United Numismatists Club (FUN Topics magazine), and author of Images of America: The United States Mint in Philadelphia (a book that explores the colorful history of the Philadelphia Mint). I’ve contributed hundreds of articles for various coin publications including COINage, The Numismatist, Numismatic News, Coin Dealer Newsletter, Coin Values, and CoinWeek. I’ve authored nearly 1,000 articles here at The Fun Times Guide to Coins (many of them with over 50K shares), and I welcome your coin questions in the comments below!
