Value of 1965-1970s quarters?

November 29, 2009 5:21 PM

I have a bunch of (US) quarters from 1965 to the mid-70s that sound and feel different than regular quarters. What are they? Are they worth more than face value?

I have a couple dozen quarters that I kept setting aside because they felt different and sound different from contemporary quarters if you drop them. I had assumed they were silver quarters. They're from 1965 to the mid-70s. My research indicates that silver quarters haven't been made since 1964, and that the same material has been used from 1965 to present... So why do these coins feel different? Are they worth more than 25 cents, or should I go ahead and use them in the laundromat?

posted by fogster to Work & Money (4 answers total)

Best answer: The last time the composition was changed was in 1965, designs have changed a number of time, as to why they feel and sound different my guess is that the older coins are worn down a bit, don't feel as sharp (more smooth) from so much handling. I am not a numismatist but I am highly confident in saying there are not worth more than contemporary quarters. A 1965, or so, silver alloy quarter will get you about $2 depending on current silver markets, the primary valu being in scrap silver. (....dealers tend to figure the amount of silver left in the coins at about .715 ounces of silver per dollar of face value.)
posted by edgeways at 5:37 PM on November 29, 2009

google it...

here is part of it.


Currently, there are few examples in the clad series that are valued as highly as the silver series but there are certain extraordinary dates or variations. The Deep Cameo versions of proofs from 1965 to 1971 and 1981 Type Two are highly valued because of their scarcity, high grade examples of quarters from certain years of the 1980s (such as 1981-1986) because of scarcity in high grades due to high circulation and in 1982 and 1983 no mint sets were produced making it harder to find mint state examples, and any coin from 1981-1994 graded in MS67 is worth upwards of $1000.
posted by JayRwv at 5:40 PM on November 29, 2009

I have a 1944 mercury dime I got in change recently. Estimate value: $1, due to the value of the silver in the coin. They minted 200 million of them so that's why they aren't worth much.
posted by chairface at 7:18 PM on November 29, 2009

The value of a coin depends on the condition, the date and the location of the mint. A dealer may pay as much as .3 $ for quarters from this era in un-circulated (MS-63) condition (The Official Blue Book Handbook of United States Coins, 2010). After the commemorative version in 1976, : "Dies Slightly Modified to Lower Relief" (same reference).
posted by llc at 8:52 PM on November 29, 2009