Statehood Quarters Collection
Statehood Quarter Error Coins
America's quarters are "workhorses" of commerce, used in vast quantities each day in coin-operated devices. Billions of 1999-2008 Statehood quarters were needed and minted, requiring high-speed production at the Philadelphia and Denver Mints (where regular-issue Statehood quarters were made). The possibility of mistakes from mechanical malfunction or human error was great. An interesting variety of Statehood quarter error coins have been found and are in collectors' hands, or awaiting discovery by keen-eyed individuals. Here are four of the most famous errors in the 1999-2008 Statehood quarter series.
2004-D Wisconsin Quarter (Extra Leaf)
Wisconsin Quarter design, with "High Leaf" and "Low Leaf" errors below.
The design for the 30th Statehood quarter features a cow, a round of cheese and an ear of corn. Some Wisconsin quarter errors were found with an "extra cornstalk leaf" – either pointing down ("Low Leaf") or pointing up ("High Leaf"). The normal cause would be metal shavings accidentally lodged in the die, creating a gouge from the coin striking action. However, because roughly equal quantities exist of the two varieties, some experts speculate that the extra leaves were deliberately created by someone at the Denver Mint – as the odds of such a similar event occurring on the same location on two different dies are astronomical.
2005-P Minnesota Doubled Die Quarter (Extra Tree)
This quarter celebrates the 32nd state's profuse lakes, forests and wildlife. But some Minnesota quarter errors exhibit an "extra" treetop next to the fourth evergreen to the right of the state outline. This error is of the category "doubled die" – indicating that the coining die had an area of misaligned impressions. This would have occurred during production of the die, when the master tool used to impress the design into the die slipped or shifted slightly during the process. The strength of the doubling (or clarity of the "extra tree") on a particular coin has determined its desirability and value among error coin collectors.
Minnesota Quarter
design.
Error not depicted
2005-P Kansas Filled Die Quarter ("IN GOD WE RUST")
Kansas Quarter
design.
Error not depicted
Like all mechanical devices, a coin press needs lubricant to prevent its moving metal parts from damaging each other. In this case, some lubricating grease escaped from the machinery onto the surface of the 2005-P Kansas quarter obverse die then in use. The grease plugged up the letter "T" in TRUST, which is recessed on the die to create a raised image on the coins. Thus, the planchet metal could not flow into that recess and the motto appears to read "IN GOD WE RUST" on coins struck by the grease-filled die. While this type of event is quite common, its occurrence within such a hallowed motto created a prominent quarter error.
2006-P Nevada Clipped Planchet Quarter
Featuring one of the most popular statehood designs, some Nevada quarter errors struck at the Philadelphia Mint have been found with irregular, non-circular shapes due to curved or straight clipped planchets (coin blanks). Planchets are punched from long sheets of metal as the sheets are automatically fed through the cutting machine. If the sheet fails to move ahead at the proper speed, a punch may overlap another punched area – creating a curved clipped planchet. If the sheet is improperly aligned, punches may overlap the side of the sheet, creating straight clipped planchets. These quarter errors are very popular with collectors for their prominent irregularities.
Nevada Quarter
design.
Error not depicted
