If you use Google’s mobile app, and you have an active interest in coin collecting, you’ve probably seen a few articles online recently claiming that Bicentennial quarters still in circulation are worth millions–sometimes hundreds of millions of dollars–and that other circulating coins are worth nearly as much.
The feature image of many of these articles shows the correct coin, but most often they illustrate unrelated coins. One article suggested by Google used a stock photo of ancient gold coins. Should one find a Roman solidus in change, that would be a newsworthy, once-in-a-lifetime event, but the Romans didn’t strike Bicentennial quarters. The United States Mint did.
It is pretty obvious by now that bicentennial quarters never took off to become incredibly valuable a few years ago, and the U.S. dollar hasn’t become the hyperinflated currency Zimbabwe’s has become. Rather, these stories are whole fabrications, no doubt from some unethical search engine optimization company or tabloid publisher trying to redirect the public’s interest in finding life-altering treasure in change to some utterly unrelated offer for a good or service.
This month alone,
I personally have been served articles on multi-million dollar Bicentennial quarters from Web sites purporting to offer bargain mortgage quotes, floral arrangements, and chiropractic(!) services. Another example: recently an article about a family restaurant turned up in my Google-curated newsfeed, with a spurious story.
It’s not just these kinds of websites that do this, though. The tabloid news site The U.S. Sun seems to regularly have headlines saying that the author has made some kind of monumental discovery of some sort of very valuable rare coin. You click on the article and find a rehash of old news that the author has nothing at all to do with.
Within the past month alone, U.S. Sun has reported on the Saddle Ridge Hoard, a big-ticket coin in a Heritage auction, and rare coins found in change worth tens of thousands of dollars. I emailed the publishers last week about the wildly misleading and uniformed headlines and have yet to hear back from them.
You have to be careful.
There’s just so much spurious content that avoids the spam filters in Google, then gets shared on social media. Expertise still counts for a lot, and not everything you read online should be trusted.
This writing reminds me of something I learned as a young boy fishing on the Chesapeake Bay with my uncle and grandfather. Toward the end of a long day pulling in nothing but croakers, my uncle reeled in a large flounder. It was my first time fishing out on the bay, so I had never seen such a fish. Excitedly and intending to catch a flounder for myself, I cast my line far out into the water.
I must have pulled too hard with my cast; the rod slipped out of my hands and fell into the water below. I was mortified, angry, and concerned that my grandfather would be so angry at me that he wouldn’t take me fishing again. But when I explained what had happened, he and my uncle had a good laugh.
Clearly, I didn’t know what I was doing and in my exuberance I made a big mistake. I bring this up to caution you against becoming over-exuberant after reading an online article about life-changing treasures that await your imminent discovery.
Returning to numismatics, rare coins and varieties do occasionally turn up in circulation. These events are much rarer today than they were 50 or 60 years ago, but they still happen. Typically, these are rare doubled dies, rare AM cent varieties, or sometimes mint error. Despite what you might read on the Internet, Bicentennial quarters found in change have no premium over face value, and examples that survive in brilliant, pristine Mint State condition rarely bring more than $100.
FAQs
1. What is the Bicentennial Quarter?
- The Bicentennial Quarter is a special U.S. quarter-dollar coin issued in 1975 and 1976 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the United States’ independence. The coin features a unique design with a dual date “1776-1976” and a special reverse design depicting a colonial drummer, along with a torch surrounded by 13 stars.
2. Why are there sensational claims about the value of Bicentennial Quarters?
- Recently, there has been a proliferation of online claims suggesting that certain Bicentennial Quarters are worth a significant amount of money, sometimes thousands of dollars. These claims often focus on rare errors, unique minting varieties, or coins in exceptionally high-grade conditions.
3. Are Bicentennial Quarters really worth a lot of money?
- Most Bicentennial Quarters in circulation are only worth their face value of 25 cents. However, certain rare varieties or coins in pristine, uncirculated condition can be worth more to collectors. For example, quarters with minting errors or those graded by professional services as “MS-65” or higher might fetch higher prices.
4. What types of Bicentennial Quarters are considered valuable?
- Valuable Bicentennial Quarters include:
- Proof Quarters: Specially made coins with a mirror-like finish, sold by the U.S. Mint to collectors.
- Error Coins: Quarters with minting mistakes, such as double dies, off-center strikes, or missing features.
- High-Grade Coins: Quarters that are in near-perfect condition, often graded MS-65 or higher by a coin grading service.
5. How can I tell if my Bicentennial Quarter is valuable?
- To determine if your Bicentennial Quarter is valuable, you should:
- Examine the coin for any errors or unusual features.
- Check the coin’s condition; coins with minimal wear are generally more valuable.
- Consider getting the coin professionally graded by a service like PCGS or NGC.
- Compare your coin with auction results or consult a coin dealer for an appraisal.