Many have asked me about the $35,000 quarter — a rare 1970 quarter error that has appeared on the news and inspired people to check their change for it and other valuable rare quarters.
Lots of people want to know:
- Why is the 1970 quarter rare?
- Are all 1970 quarters valuable?
- Can I find the $35,000 quarter in pocket change?
Here’s the scoop on the rare 1970 quarter error you’ve probably heard about in the news — and how to find other rare quarters in your pocket change!
Which 1970 Quarter Is Worth A Lot Of Money?
The rare 1970 quarter error worth $35,000 is a unique quarter that was somehow struck on a 1941 Canadian quarter by mistake.
It’s officially unknown how this 1970-S proof quarter was made from a silver Canadian quarter that was struck 29 years earlier.
Perhaps a Mint employee placed the 1941 quarter into the hopper as a prank, but we don’t really know how it got there, and nobody has spoken up to explain the origins of this rare quarter error.
The 1970 quarter recently sold at auction for a whopping $35,000!
And while this odd 1970 quarter error has been certified as authentic by the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation, there is only one quarter like it — so you won’t be finding it in your pocket change.
Other Rare Quarters To Look For
Maybe you won’t be finding the rare 1970 quarter error worth $35,000, but there are plenty of other rare quarters that you could find — in your spare change, in bank rolls of coins, and other places.
Here’s a list of rare quarters and what they’re worth:
- 1896-S Barber Quarter; 188,039 Minted — $850+
- 1897-S Barber Quarter; 542,229 Minted — $100+
- 1901-S Barber Quarter; 72,664 Minted — $5,000+
- 1913-S Barber Quarter; 40,000 Minted — $1,500+
- 1914-S Barber Quarter; 264,000 Minted — $110+
- 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter; 52,000 Minted — $2,500+
- 1918-S 8 Over 7 Standing Liberty Quarter; Unknown Small Mintage — $1,500+
- 1923-S Standing Liberty Quarter; 1,360,000 Minted — $275+
- 1932-D Washington Quarter; 436,800 Minted — $150+
- 1932-S Washington Quarter; 408,000 Minted — $150+
- 1937 Washington Quarter Doubled Die Obverse; Unknown Small Mintage — $650+
- 1942-D Washington Quarter Doubled Die Obverse; Unknown Small Mintage — $300+
- 1943 Washington Quarter Doubled Die Obverse; Unknown Small Mintage — $250+
- 1943-S Washington Quarter Doubled Die Obverse; Unknown Small Mintage — $150+
- 1950-D D Over S Washington Quarter; Unknown Small Mintage — $100+
- 1950-S S Over D Washington Quarter; Unknown Small Mintage — $100+
- 2004-D Wisconsin State Quarter Extra High Leaf; Unknown Small Mintage — $110+ (Uncirculated)
- 2004-D Wisconsin State Quarter Extra Low Leaf; Unknown Small Mintage — $100+ (Uncirculated)
*Unless otherwise stated, values listed above are for coins grading Good-4 or better.
How Rare Are Silver Quarters?
In general, most silver quarters struck during the 20th century are not rare.
The reason they seem hard to find is because most were removed from circulation a long time ago when silver became valuable.
However, coin collectors have large numbers of silver quarters today, and bullion hoarders have stockpiled millions of these coins. So there are still plenty of silver quarters to go around, there just aren’t many floating in circulation.
By the way, the United States last struck silver quarters for circulation in 1964. So, if you find a quarter made from 1964 or earlier, be sure you keep it — because it contains a 90% silver composition and is worth several times more than face value!
Must read: How Much Are Silver Quarters Worth?
How Rare Are Colored Quarters And Gold Quarters?
If you’ve found a colored or gold quarter, you may think that you just hit the jackpot.
Unfortunately, neither gold nor colored Washington quarters and State quarters were ever made by the United States Mint.
If you find coins like these, you’ll be perhaps a little frustrated to learn that while they’re real quarters, they were altered after they left the U.S. Mint.
Novelty coins like these may be neat — but most aren’t worth much more than their face value or metal value.
And, in the case of gold-plated quarter, they contain only a few cents’ worth of gold. So even gold quarters aren’t worth very much, if anything, over the face value.
Sorry to break the news to you…
How Rare Are 1976 Bicentennial Quarters?
You’ve probably seen old quarters with a 1776-1976 date on the obverse (heads side) and a Colonial drummer boy on the reverse (tails side).
Curious what those are worth?
These 1976 Bicentennial quarters are actually very common — more than 1.6 billion were made!
Because so many 1976 Bicentennial quarters were made, they’re not really worth very much unless they’re in pristine condition.
Unless your 1976 quarter has an “S” mintmark on it or it’s uncirculated (unworn), then your 1976 quarter is worth face value.
How To Find Rare Quarters
Checking your pocket change is a great way to find rare quarters and other valuable old coins.
One of my favorite methods to look for rare coins is to go to the bank and buy rolls of coins. It costs just $10 to buy a roll of 40 quarters.
While I’ve never found any $35,000 rare quarters in bank rolls, I have found silver coins, error coins, and other valuable coins this way. Maybe you will, too!
More Info About Rare & Valuable Quarters
In addition to the links I’ve included above, here are some other resources to help you learn more about the quarters you have:
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!
