Grading the Standing Liberty Quarter
The Standing Liberty quarter (1916-1930) is a beautiful 90% silver coin that is famously hard to find well struck. The key grading spot is Liberty's head: a fully detailed head earns a 'Full Head' (FH) bonus. On early coins the date wears off quickly because it sits up high, the Mint recessed the date in 1925 to fix that. The 1916 and the 1918/7-S are the famous rarities.
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At a glance
| Years | 1916-1930 |
|---|---|
| Designer | Hermon A. MacNeil. |
| Denomination | Twenty-five cents |
| Specifications | Weight 6.25 g; diameter 24.3 mm; reeded edge. (6.25 g is the U.S. Mint standard for 90% silver quarters; PCGS CoinFacts lists 6.30 g.) |
Composition over time
| Period | Composition |
|---|---|
| 1916-1930 | 90% silver, 10% copper |
Major subtypes
| Subtype | Years |
|---|---|
| Type 1 (no stars below eagle) | 1916-1917 |
| Type 2 (chain-mail; three stars below eagle) | 1917-1930 |
| Type 2b / Type 3 (recessed date) | 1925-1930 |
Where wear shows first
- Liberty's head (the design's high point), a complete strike earns the Full Head (FH) designation
- Pre-1925 issues: the exposed, raised date, which wears flat quickly
Common weak-strike areas
- The series is notorious for weak strikes, especially on Liberty's head; 1916 coins are often softly struck there
Strike designations
Full Head (FH): rewards a complete strike on Liberty's head. PCGS publishes a Type 2 standard (three helmet leaves, a complete helmet outline, and a clear ear hole); NGC requires the three leaves fully visible, a complete hairline along Liberty's brow, and the ear indentation evident.
Grading circulated coins
The date is the make-or-break feature, and the rules changed mid-series: dates before 1925 sit on a raised pedestal and wore off quickly, while 1925-1930 coins have the date in a recess and keep it far longer. Never grade the two by the same date standard. Good (G-4): Liberty is a smooth silhouette, the shield is flat with its rivets gone, and the date is readable but heavily worn (a full readable date is required for Good on recessed-date coins; pre-1925 coins with partial dates trade as About Good or Fair). Very Good (VG-8): the date is clear, the shield's outline and a few gown lines return, and the eagle's breast shows a feather outline. Fine (F-12): the gown line crossing Liberty's body is visible, rivets appear along the shield's edge, and the date is fully bold. Very Fine (VF-20): most shield rivets show, gown drapery across the thigh is distinct though the knee is worn flat, and Liberty's head shows partial detail. Extremely Fine (EF-40): nearly all rivets are sharp, the knee shows only a small flat spot, and the head reveals a partial hairline and cap detail. About Uncirculated (AU-50): only traces of friction on the head, breast, knee, and shield center, with luster in the protected fields. Caveat: the head and shield are chronically weakly struck, so flatness there on a lustrous coin is strike, not wear; that chronic weakness is exactly why the Full Head designation exists.
Grading Mint State coins
Mint State Standing Liberty quarters are separated by luster and marks on Liberty's body and the open fields, but strike rules the market: the head, shield rivets, and inner shield are chronically soft, and fully struck examples earn the Full Head designation described above, with large premiums, especially on 1919-1924 branch-mint issues.
Key dates
- 1916, the series key: just 52,000 struck in the debut year, worth four figures even in low grades, and always authenticated against altered 1917 dates
- 1918/7-S, the dramatic wartime overdate, rare in all grades and extremely rare in Mint State with a Full Head
- 1923-S, a low-mintage key that is heavily counterfeited via added mintmarks
- 1927-S, the lowest mintage after 1916 (396,000) and a condition rarity in EF and better
- 1921, a low-mintage Philadelphia key, strong in all grades
Semi-key dates
- 1919-D and 1919-S, expensive in VF and better and notorious for weak heads
- 1926-S, common worn but rare with a Full Head
Major varieties
- Type 1 (1916-1917) bare-breast design versus Type 2 (1917-1930) chain-mail redesign with stars below the eagle
- Type 2b recessed date (1925-1930), the mid-series engineering fix that defines its grading
- 1918/7-S overdate (also listed under key dates)
Common problems
- Date wear: pre-1925 dates sit on a raised surface and wear away; the 1925 recessed-date change fixed this
Counterfeit & alteration risks
- 1916 key date (lowest-mintage regular issue): the series key by date
- 1918/7-S overdate: the overall rarest coin in the series; commonly altered/added-detail, so authentication is advised
For the advanced grader
Because weak strikes are the series norm, separate a softly struck head from a worn one before judging FH. PCGS's Type 2 FH criteria (three helmet leaves, complete outline, open ear hole) differ from NGC's, which requires the three leaves fully visible, a complete brow hairline, and the ear indentation evident. Pre-1925 date wear means many coins are dateless or weak-dated; the 1918/7-S overdate is heavily authenticated due to its rarity.
Photographic examples
Click any image to enlarge and zoom. Where shown, obverse, reverse, and edge views are of the same coin and year.
Same coin: 1917 Type 1 Standing Liberty quarter, graded PCGS MS64 FH
More quarters to explore
Sources: Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) · Coin World
Evidence pages
Related terms
Weak Strike · Wear · Overdate · Counterfeit