Got two Bicentennial quarters in my change today. Ones in great shape and the other not so much. Interesting thing is the one in great shape has a strange bevel on the inner area of the rim. Anything special about this one? The area between the words “LIBERTY” and the rim is where I’m seeing the bevel. On the reverse side it’s the area between the “QUARTER DOLLAR” and the rim.
Nice eye! Misaligned die errors are not worth much of a premium, although in extreme cases they are worth something. They don't really have much value until parts of the design are missing - most MADs are so small that the entire design is still present, but the rim is noticeably thicker on one side. (Taken from a past CT thread) An Overview of Misaligned Dies - MAD coins | Coin Talk.
I just love seeing the Bicentennial coinage getting some attention of late. When I was a coin crazed teen, I was so excited about these Bicentennial releases.... And I would bet with the mint planning to commemorate the 250th anniversary with new designs, the Bicentennial series may see some serious numismatic interest.
Why can the mint produce a nice looking coin for one year but not for 50 years? I know the mint doesn’t design the coins but it’s the ones that do.
Ah yes, the passage of time! Time is an amazing thing put into perspective. Surely the Mint will commemorate the passage of another 50 years. Just think, in 2026, another 50 years distance from our country's birth; only 250 yrs ago the United States was born! (Of course, if you're really into ancients, this really isn't that old. ) In 1976, the Bicentennial year, we were in the middle of a 3 year residency in a small town named Lutzelhausen in (at that time) West Germany. Just about 3 kilometers away was a town (apologies, I cannot remember the name) with a great gasthaus we would go to often for drinks & food. That year, the town was celebrating its 2,000th birthday...& the buildings looked like it. But the whole town was very well preserved & the people were fabulous! I was thinking recently, that in just a few years, I will be as distant from my birthday as my birthday is from the end of the Civil War!!!! For some reason, that is both shocking & disturbing to me & I don't know why. I remember in high school feeling so removed from WWII, even though I was well aware that my father was stationed at Hickam Field on the infamous day (he survived of course) & 2 uncles were crew members on B-17's (both survived). Yet in 1974, a mere 30 +/- years after the war, I was literally standing on the actual battlefields in Germany. That was weird! Time & perspective is amazing...so yeah, let's throw another 50 yrs on the pile! Steve 3rd Armored Division (Spearhead) Captain, US Army
The design for the Washington quarter got caught up in politics. There was originally a contest to see which professional artist's design would be accepted for the coin which was introduced in 1932. The winner was this one by Mrs. Laura Fraser, who was married to James Fraser who designed the Buffalo Nickel. The design is shown on the 1999 commemorative $5 gold piece because Treasurer, Andrew Mellon, rejected it in favor of the design by John Flannigan. Mellon was the only person in power who preferred Flannigan's design. The Fine Arts Commission didn't like it all, but Mellon bulldozed his way through. I am not a fan of the old Washington Quarter. When I was a kid collector, this was the only coin that didn't grab my attention enough to collect it from circulation. I collected Lincoln Cents, Jefferson Nickels, Roosevelt Dimes and even some Franklin Half Dollars although 50 cents was a lot more money then. The Washington Quarter did nothing for me. I thought that the reverse design was crowded and unattractive. And the Washington portrait didn't much for me either. Oddly enough, the adults agreed with me at the time.
Yes, in my photo files, everything from 1900 to the present is in my "Modern Coin" folder. I became a baseball fan in 1959. We are now 64 years from that date. If you go back 64 years from 1959, the American Baseball League did not exist. It started in 1902.
