Did you know that some Washington quarters have sold for as much as $1,500 apiece?!
Amazing as it sounds, some of these rare and valuable 1998 quarters are still floating around in circulation.
But you’ve got to know what to look for!
Let’s talk about the 1998 quarter… why many are only worth face value and others are worth hundreds of dollars, and how to find some of these valuable quarters.
Fun Facts About The 1998 Quarter
First, let’s talk basics…
What’s special about the design on the 1998 quarter?
The 1998 quarter was designed by John Flanagan, whose motifs of United States President George Washington on the obverse (“heads side”) and heraldic eagle on the reverse (“tails side”) had first appeared on the nation’s 25-cent coin in 1932.
The year 1998 marked the last year these two designs would be seen together on the U.S. quarter.
In 1999, the 50 State Quarters program began — replacing the heraldic eagle reverse design with ever-changing scenes depicting different states and state symbols.
The Washington head on the obverse was also modified at that time by designer William Cousins to incorporate more detail in the portrait and accommodate relocation of the inscriptions — “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “QUARTER DOLLAR” were moved from the reverse to the obverse beginning in 1999, while the date switched from the obverse to the reverse beginning with the first 50 State Quarter. (This provided more room for the different reverse designs honoring all the states.)
Where is the mintmark on a 1998 quarter?
You’re going to find either a P, D, or S mint letter stamp on your 1998 quarters.
What do these letters mean? They indicate which mint made your coin.
Here are the 3 possible mintmarks you will find on all 1998 Washington quarters:
- P = Philadelphia Mint
- D = Denver Mint
- S = San Francisco Mint
When you’re trying to find the mintmark on a 1998 quarter, all you need to do is look at the lower-right side of the obverse. You’ll locate it just to the right of the bow in Washington’s ponytail.
Are there any silver 1998 quarters?
Yes, indeed, there are some 1998 silver quarters worth looking for! It’s true, but you’ve got to know where to look for them.
They were struck at the San Francisco Mint as proof coins and included in proof sets that were sold directly to coin collectors. While this means you’re going to have a tough time finding any in circulation, it doesn’t mean you can’t find any.
Proof coins turn up in pocket change from time to time, often because they were broken out of sets by non-collectors and spent as money. Therefore, there’s always the chance that you may run across a rare 1998-S silver proof quarter in circulation! Your best bet of finding one is to search through rolls of quarters.
How can you tell a silver quarter apart from a clad one?
Well, in the case of as 1998 silver quarter, it has to have the “S” mintmark from San Francisco. It will also weigh a little more than a clad quarter.
How much should a 1998 quarter weigh?
Ah, fancy asking that right now! Yes, I mentioned above that silver quarters weigh more than clad quarters.
Here are the weights of 1998 clad and silver quarters:
- 1998 clad quarters weigh 5.67 grams
- 1998 silver quarters weigh 6.25 grams
Need a coin scale? These are the best scales for weighing U.S. coins.
But wait, there’s more to know about what quarters weigh…
A lot of people tend to get excited when their quarters don’t weigh exactly what the specifications state above.
It’s natural to wonder if you might have an error if your coin doesn’t weigh exactly what the books or online resources tell you. But in most cases a coin being slightly underweight or overweight isn’t an error but rather due to tolerances and wear.
You see, the U.S. government allows tolerances (or a little lenience) in how much a newly struck coin should weigh.
Quarter weight tolerances are the following:
- Clad quarter tolerance — .227 grams
- Silver quarter tolerance — .195 grams
This means that a newly struck clad quarter may weigh as little as 5.44 grams or as much as 5.9 grams. Meanwhile, an uncirculated silver quarter can weigh anywhere between 6.05 and 6.45 grams and still be categorized as “normal.”
Circulated coins can weigh even less than those lower figures due to metal loss that occurs through circulation wear.
Are 1998 quarters rare?
Most 1998 quarters that you’ll find in circulation are extremely common. However, some 1998 quarters are rare and valuable due to their condition or the presence of errors and varieties.
If you haven’t noticed by now, this isn’t one of those “find a million-dollar coin under your couch cushion” sites. I’m not going to hype things up just to let you down. Having said that, there really are some relatively valuable 1998 quarters worth a lot of money, and we’ll talk more about these next…
Now would be a good time to grab a coin magnifier and a copy of the U.S. Coin Grading Standards book. Those are the two best tools that will help you determine the value of all your U.S. coins.
How Much Is A 1998 Quarter Worth Today?
1998-P Quarter Value
The 1998-P quarter from the Philadelphia Mint saw a mintage of 896,268,000 pieces — we’re talking nearly a billion coins! When I say this coin is common, I’m not kidding.
Most 1998-P quarters are worth only 25 cents if found in worn (circulated) condition.
A typical uncirculated 1998-P quarter has a value of around $1 to $3.
The most valuable 1998-P quarter was graded Mint State-68 by Professional Coin Grading Service and sold for $1,380 in 2007.
1998-D Quarter Value
The Denver Mint struck 821,000,000 quarters with the “D” mintmark in 1998. This was another impressive output, even though not quite as large as the Philly Mint emission of quarters that same year.
Most circulated 1998-D quarters are worth 25 cents apiece.
An uncirculated 1998-D quarter can usually bring anywhere from $1 to $3.
The most valuable 1998-D quarter was graded Mint State-67+ by Professional Coin Grading Service, fetching $1,527.50 in a 2015 auction!
1998-S Quarter Value
As mentioned above, the San Francisco Mint struck proof silver quarters with “S” mintmarks for collectors, and they did the same with clad quarters. Mintages were 2,086,507 for the clad version and 878,792 for the silver.
A regular clad 1998-S quarter is worth in the neighborhood of $3 to $5, while a silver 1998-S quarter takes closer to between $5 and $10.
The most valuable 1998-S clad quarter was a Proof-70 Deep Cameo specimen graded by Professional Coin Grading Service selling for $219 in a 2005 sale. Meanwhile, the most valuable 1998-S silver quarter was a beautifully toned example graded Proof-68 Deep Cameo by Professional Coin Grading Service that sold for $930 in 2021.
Rare 1998 Quarter Errors To Look For
Some of the most valuable coins aren’t the perfect ones but rather the imperfect ones. Many 1998 quarter error and variety coins are worth a lot of money!
Here’s what some 1998 error quarters have sold for:
- 1998-P Triple Strike, Off Center Quarter — $2,040
- 1998-P Quarter Struck On Nickel Planchet — $158.63
- 1998-P Quarter Struck 15% Off Center — $67
Here’s more about off-center errors and wrong planchet errors… with additional examples of each.
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!
