The George Washington Bicentennial Quarter, a rare piece of currency

There are plenty of George Washington quarters, but the special edition George Washington Bicentennial Quarter is rare enough that its value far surpasses its stamp.

The numismatic community has known for years that there is value in every coin, but some have special markings that make them even more special. The world at large sometimes does not understand the value of a piece, after all, we are surrounded by currency, and most pieces, especially those that have been taken out of circulation, only have the value that is stamped on their front for many of us.

But that is not at all true, the value of a coin or bill, according to the US First Exchange portal, is determined by its catalogue value based on three main factors: rarity, the condition of the piece, and its demand. If all these factors converge in a perfect storm, it can mean that the value of the currency can rise to the millions, and although those are the rarer ones, some can easily go up to the thousands with ease, like the one we will be looking at today.

The George Washington Bicentennial Quarter, a rare piece of currency

There are plenty of George Washington quarters, but the special edition George Washington Bicentennial Quarter is rare enough that its value far surpasses its stamp. First minted in 1975 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of American independence, it is no longer in circulation, and coins of this period are rare enough on their own, that with the added bicentennial twist finding one would be a boon.

According to the United States Mint, this quarter has several characteristics that make it stand out from others, for example, the coin was minted in the years 1975 and 1976 and bore the dual dates of 1776-1976, none of the pieces had just one of the dates printed, all of them had both. Another special feature is that the reverse of this coin changed the usual Washington’s eagle reverse during 1975 and 1976 to a more celebratory scene.

Should you wish to distinguish this special coin form others of similar characteristics, you would have to look for one that, in the obverse design, features a bust of President George Washington and, in the reverse design, has a colonial drummer facing left and a victory torch surrounded by thirteen stars in the upper left corner.

The inscriptions will also be slightly changed from the original, with them being:

The coins will also have a Mint Mark for Denver, Philadelphia or San Francisco depending on where they were produced in the country. And here is where the difference between the non-valuable and the rare coins begins.

The coin that is worth far more than face value

The Mint Mark in this specific coin is key for its value appraisal, one of the variants of the coin came out with a mistake, which now makes it even more valuable than the regular Bicentennial Quarter. This mistake is that the coin has a double-struck obverse that occurred during the minting process, where the die used to stamp the design was misaligned, resulting in a double image.

This means that the coins that have the double-struck variant can be valued at up to $13,500 due to this rarity for its uniqueness and the historical context of the Bicentennial celebration.

But do not let your enthusiasm and greed get the best of you, some unscrupulous sellers may try to upsell these coins and many others for far more than they would fetch in the open market or with knowledgeable buyers. Always ensure that you do your due diligence and research the coin in question extensively before buying or selling.