Standing Liberty Quarters

I am 99.9 % ignorant to the coin collecting world,however,my father recently passed and he was somewhat of a coin collector(kind of like,if it looked cool he threw it in a box),and in a box I found NUMEROUS old coins.

Among others I have found 4 standing liberty coins and have seen them worth a good bit of money(not loking ot sell them,just curious)to a value of next to nothing.

The dates are 1917x2 1920 and 1923.

All are in (my opinion) good condition.How do I tell a valuable one from a not so valuable one?


I also have some 1964 Nickles that look kinda funny.

The head side looks sorta....wavey.

Sorry for terminology...


Also 1887 "O" Silver dollar...sorry to kep adding stuff,but am looking through thm now,and any coin that looks in nice condition,I will post...Hope that's ok

I also have a few 1899 and 1900 silver dollars with "O"'s and I have one with no "O"..can't find a mark anywhere.Im getting the hang of this i think

 

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Welcome to the forum Snail. Perhaps between the great start your father left you, and the information you will get from the friendly folks here, we'll make a collector out of you too.

Hopefully their grade is higher than "good", since the technical meaning of that term is roughly equivalent to "it's identifiable, but barely". I'm sure you are using it in a different sense, but without looking at them there is really no way to tell what any specific coin would grade at.

Depending on the mint mark (or absence of one), the condition, and in the case of the 1917s, whether or not Lady Liberty has suffered the same "wardrobe malfunction" that Janet Jackson did at last year's Super Bowl, the retail value range in collectible grades is from about $15 to several thousand dollars.

A very good starting place for you would be to get the latest edition of the Guide Book of United States Coins aka the Red Book, available at most public libraries, coin stores and book stores. Do not rely on the prices you will find there. They are retail prices as of several months before the book was printed, and especially in the higher grades coin prices have been riding an escalator the past few years. What the Red Book will do for you is provide a great deal of general information on U.S. coins, including specific things to look for in various series; and a rough basis for seeing which ones are rare enough to be potentially valuable, and which ones are common.

And, of course, you can ask questions and post pictures here.

 

I also would like to see pictures. Are the dates on these distinct or very difficult to read? If they're distinct, they are in much better than "Good" condition. The dates on the pre-1925 Standing Liberty Quarters were the highest point on the obverse of these coins, causing them to wear completely off in circulation. Also, there are two types for 1917. One is the "bare breasted" variety and has no stars on the reverse under the eagle. The second variety Liberty's breast is covered and there are stars under the eagle. I have always had a fondness for this series and look forward to your pictures.

Oh, I'm sorry, I got so caught up in the coins that I didn't welcome you to the forum -- so welcome

 

The date is very readable on the coins.

One you said kinda puzzles me though..On the 1917 one,Liberty is definietly bare breasted I can tell by looking at the 1923 one.The 1923 coin she is wearing,what looks like,chain armor(best way to describe it)over the area,but the 1917 coin,she is 100% bare.

However,it's funny you mentioned about the stars,because not only does the 1917 one have stars,but it semms to have about two times the amount of stars around the edge,but none under the eagle where the others have stars.Also on the back,the "E Plvribvs vnvm" is much smaller on the 1917 coin.

BTW,I am making a Virtual Photo Album of all the coins.It will take some time as I have run into a snafu as the software for my camera(4 years old) wont run on WinXP.So I have to go purchase a memory stick reader.


EDIT:Ok my reading comprehension kicked in a bit too late hehe.I do see where you said "UNDER THE EAGLE". I took it as,NO stars at all on the reverse side.

 

It was in 1917 that they covered her breast with the mesh-type design. Some of the 1917 coins were released bare and some with the covered design. The easiest way to tell which variety you have is by the stars on the reverse (under the eagle)

I am really looking forward to seeing the pictures.

 

The condition of my coin is very close (In my EXTREMELY ignorant opinion) to this one.The date on mine actually SEEMS to be more legible than even this one.

However,mine is very "dirty". I know you guys say never ever to clean a coin,but am wondering is there is a method of cleaning a coin?

Is there some home method of cleaning them or can a professional do it?


Link to coin..http://www.coinfacts.com/quarter_do..._quarters/standing_liberty_quarter_dolla.html

 

I absolutely would not clean that coin. I would suggest not doing anything with it until you post the pictures here and get some feedback. At that point, we will be better able to help you.

 

Great minds think alike, hey GD? You posting the same thing I was at the same time.

 

I didn't notice you were still adding coins to your list. The more, the merrier, I always say. Post as many pictures as you want. We love to help

 

I just found this on the same web-site as the link:

Well struck examples are the most desirable and much attention is focused on Liberty's head. So-called "Full Head" examples (those with complete details) often bring considerable premiums over poorly struck examples, but attention should also be paid to the rivets on the shield. Any coin with a Full Head and full rivets is a true prize. Mintmarks on this type ("D" for Denver or "S" for San Francisco) appear on the obverse just to the left of, and slightly above, the date. The small M that appears to the right of the date is the designer's initial.


My coin has a "very" legible date,Full head,and rivets are easily seen.

 

Ok,here's the best I could do with my camera,it's old. Doesn't really do the coin justice,but it's close.The light made some of the detail kind of fuzzy.

http://coins.myphotoalbum.com/albums.php


Man,Taking photos of a coin is not easy at all! hehe

I also waned to add,that it's hard to see in the photo,but the shield(the smaller one on the shield) has full detail of the lines on it,and her face is actually a bit better than the photo.

I had to shine a flashlight onto the coin to get it half way decent.

 

Very nice pictures, Snail!

Here are my estimates of grades:
1917 Type I appears AU but may be UNC. It's hard to tell with some coins unless you're holding them in your hand. I would estimate AU58 but I do not see a full head strike. The shield looks terrific.

1920 appears to have EF40-45 details with a full head strike. There is an obverse rim ding at 3 o'clock which would cause me to drop this grade to a solid EF40.

1923 - Beautiful EF40 coin but the head does not appear to be a full strike to me.

I am a little envious...these are very nice examples of this type coin. Are you going to keep them or sell them?

 

Ok,I added one more picture of the 1917 front.I read somewhere to cut the top off of a milk carton and shine a very bright light through the carton to difuse the light.

It seem to work a bit better.

As far as what to do with them,it's very hard to say.

If someone would really want the coins(any of my coins) because they were really into coins,i'd have to say i'd sell them to them.

I would rather someone that would tend to the coins properly and get enjoyment out them then just sit here in my house.

On the other hand,they were my dad's(probably my grandads or even great grandads) and are sorta a memorial,but I have many other things to remember them by.

So thee's my dillema.

 

That picture makes a difference. I now think that the 1917 may be uncirculated, but is at least an AU58 with a full head strike.

You have another option, you know.

Since you are considering the sentimental value of the coins since they belonged to your father, you could use these coins to start a Standing Liberty Quarter collection that you could finish as a memorial to him. This may also bring you closer to his memory as you will gain some understanding of what appealed to him in these coins.

 

Ok,i'v decided to at least take the coins to a dealer and have them graded and whatever else they do.

Just so I have a general idea,within 10 dollars or so,how much do you guys think the 3 coins are worth?

I had taken ALL my coins(roughly 50-60 silver dollars,these 3 quarters,some wartime nickles and some V nickles)to a local guy just so he could tell me which ones to not worry about and which ones to hold on to.

I think I am going to start a standing liberty collection.The 1916 one,however,seems a bit out of my leauge hehe.

 

Judging by what similar coins have sold for on eBay, here is what I found:

1917 - $150.00
1920 - $30-35
1923 - $20-25

 

Your 1917 is a D mint and is probably worth $200 +. Would have to see it in hand. Looks like a full head and if so would be worth more. Could easily be worth $300.

I can't see the date and mintmark on the 1920. Looks EF-45.

The 1923 looks EF-40 to me.

All are nice coins.

I have a complete set of these and you might consider starting a set. Makes a very pretty set in the higher grades.

Have a good day, Gary