Did you know that many 1989 quarters are worth more than face value?
Yep! Some 1989 Washington quarter coins are worth hundreds — even thousands — of dollars.
Would you be able to spot a rare and valuable 1989 quarter if it was in front of you?
Today I’m going to tell you which 1989 quarters are worth looking for and describe the exact features that make a regular 1989 quarter extremely valuable!
Fun Facts About 1989 Quarters
First, some fun facts — so you know what you’re looking at…
What Is The Design On A 1989 Quarter?
The 1989 quarter was designed by John Flanagan and shows a portrait of first United States President George Washington on the obverse (“heads side”) and a heraldic eagle on the reverse (“tails side”).
Are Any 1989 Quarters Made From Silver?
No, there are no 1989 silver quarters. They are made from copper-nickel clad, and the coin’s overall composition is 75% copper and 25% nickel.
How Much Does A 1989 Quarter Weigh?
A 1989 quarter has a standard weight of 5.67 grams. That is much lighter than the weight of silver quarters, which is 6.25 grams.
Do you have a coin scale? Here are the best scales for weighing U.S. coins. (You might also want to grab a coin magnifier and a copy of the U.S. Coin Grading Standards book to help you determine the value of all your coins.)
Where Is The Mintmark On 1989 Quarters?
All 1989 quarters are supposed to have mint letter stamps, which are termed mintmarks. You will find the mintmark on a 1989 quarter on the obverse, right behind (to the right of) of the bow in Washington’s ponytail.
You will find one of 3 mintmarks on all 1989 quarters, including:
- P mintmark for the Philadelphia Mint
- D mintmark for the Denver Mint
- S mintmark for the San Francisco Mint
Are 1989 Quarters Rare?
In the absolute sense, no — 1989 quarters are not rare. In fact, if you add up all the different mintages for the 1989-P quarter, 1989-D quarter, and 1989-S quarter, you’ll find the total production of 1989 quarters is more than 1.4 billion. That’s right… That’s billion with a big ol’ B!
Why are some 1989 quarters are rare and valuable, and worth so much money over face value then?
Some 1989 quarters in top condition are rare by the fact they are in such pristine shape.
Others are the 1989 quarter errors, which are rare because of the oddities found on them. (I’ll explain this in greater detail below.)
All 1989 Quarter Values
Here are the current values for each of the different types of 1989 quarters that were made…
1989-P Quarter Value
The 1989 quarter with the “P” mint letter stamp (or mintmark) was struck at the Philadelphia Mint.
A total of 512,868,000 were struck — or a little more than 512 million — and these were distributed into circulation.
A 1989-P quarter is a common coin.
Most 1989-P quarters are encountered in worn condition, and these are worth only face value. Since worn quarters are worth only 25 cents, you’re not missing out on anything if you spend them.
However, uncirculated 1989-P quarters (which do not have any wear on them) are typically worth $1 to $2 each.
The most valuable 1989-P quarter was graded MS-67 by Professional Coin Grading Service and sold in 2007 for $1,955.
1989-D Quarter Value
The 1989 quarter with the “D” mint letter stamp (or mintmark) was produced at the Denver Mint, where 896,535,597 quarters were made that year.
The 1989-D quarter is an extremely common coin.
Any 1989-D quarters that are worn are worth their face value — just 25 cents.
However, any 1989-D quarters in mint condition are worth saving! A typical uncirculated 1989-D quarter is worth $1 to $2.
The most valuable 1989-D quarter was graded MS-67 by Professional Coin Grading Service and hammered for $763.75 in a 2017 auction.
1989-S Quarter Value
The 1989-S quarter was struck for collectors at the San Francisco Mint, which produced 3,220,194 of these special coins and included them in proof sets.
What is a proof coin?
Modern proof coins like the 1989-S quarter are struck using highly polished blanks that are intentionally struck at least twice by specially prepared dies on high-tonnage dies to ensure that even the most minute details are fully evident on the coin.
The 1989-S proof set was originally sold to collectors for $11, but now it’s worth closer to $7.
If you want to buy just the 1989-S proof quarter, you should be able to find one at many coin shops for somewhere in the range of $2 to $4.
The most valuable 1989-S quarter was graded PR-70 Deep Cameo by Professional Coin Grading Service and fetched $253 in a 2004 sale.
A List Of 1989 Quarter Errors You Can Find In Pocket Change
Some of the most rare and valuable 1989 quarters worth looking for aren’t in “perfect” condition. Nope, not all. Mint mistakes are some of the most valuable coins, and some of these errors and varieties can score you hundreds of dollars… sometimes more!
The 1989 quarter errors and varieties worth big values are numerous. Here, we’re going to look at the most popular and most valuable ones that you could actually find in your pocket change today:
1989 Doubled Die Error Quarter
The doubled die is one of the most popular kinds of error varieties to look for on any coin — because many of them are so drastic in appearance and usually worth quite a bit of money.
To date, there are no major 1989 doubled die quarters known to exist. Therefore, you aren’t likely to find one.
But there are, quite possibly, some more obscure 1989 doubled die quarters worth looking for! If you happen to find any such doubled dies (and they’ve been verified not to be worthless machine doubling), then they could be worth around $50 or more.
1989 Quarter Smooth Edge / Without Ridges On Edge Error
Did you find a 1989 quarter without ridges or a smooth edge? If you have a coin like this, be sure it’s a real error and not simply a damaged or altered coin.
In most cases, quarters with smooth edges simply lost their edge ridges (or edge reeding) due to extensive wear in vending machines. In other situations, quarters with no edge reeds have been altered to appear that way, or they lost their reeded edge through centrifugal force in a clothes dryer or a coin counting machine.
One of the few real errors where a quarter will have no reeds and a smooth edge is the broadstike error. That’s when a coin is struck without its retaining collar (the contraption that impresses reeds into the side of the quarter when it’s being struck). Broadstrike quarters will weigh the same as a normal quarter, but it will have no rim (the raised lip around the edge of the coin) and will most likely be wider and thinner than normal.
A 1989 broadstrike quarter will generally have a value of about $20 to $30.
1989 Off-Center Quarter Error
A 1989 quarter that was struck off center and is missing part of its design is a valuable error coin. The value of a 1989 off-center error quarter depends on how much of the design is missing and if the date is still fully visible.
For example, a 1989 quarter that is missing only a small part of the design — say 5% or 10% — might bring only $20 to $30. However, the rare 1989 off-center quarters that are missing about 50% of their design and still show a complete date can bring as much as $150 to $200… or even more.
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!
