The Type 1 & Type 2 Standing Liberty Quarter "QuickGrade" Grading Engine

Quickly and easily grade your coin. You can also learn more about the Standing Liberty quarter or visit the complete grading guide for Standing Liberty quarters.

Type 1 and type 2 Standing Liberty quarters can be graded by their date alone. Type 3 quarters have their date recessed and protected in the design; grading these quarters by the date alone would require a different set of guidelines and is discouraged as a method. In a separate QuickGrade section, type 3 quarters are analyzed by the wear pattern of the chainmail. Some quarters in this series suffered from striking issues affecting the date area. This problem was especially prevalent in mintmarked type 2 examples. It usually manifested itself with die cracks spreading across the top of the date. The result was a date displaying digits at a strength consistent with one grade and a level of visibility equal to another. The collector must be aware of this, and if a poor strike is suspected, the strength of the unaffected area is paramount. Concentrating on the date area when grading offers an additional benefit because this is the most critical part of the design anyway--everyone always looks at a coin's date. This QuickGrade guide and the entire concept of grading by a single part of the design will not be 100% accurate, but it has proven to produce results that are usually correct.


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The low-grade Standing Liberty quarters will not show a date, and the entire platform will be smooth. The (rather unnecessary) magnified images of the example coin confirm that no date is visible. A Standing Liberty quarter needs to be identifiable in order to be graded at least "good." For this reason, only type 1 examples are certified with any grade of "about good" or less.

As soon as a Standing Liberty quarter is identifiable with at least one date digit, most collectors agree that it has enough detail to grade at least "good." The example coin shows the last "9" with enough clarity for identification, and some details of the other digits remain as well. While the date depicted would be considered poor by most standards, this actually represents an above-average display at the "good" level. Many G coins barely show a single digit.

A "very good" Standing Liberty quarter will show a full date bearing significant weakness. The upper and lower portions of the digits are usually blurred with the surrounding platform, yet every digit should be identifiable in its own right. Occasionally, coins showing less than four digits, but all with better clarity, might be permitted into the VG grade. From a qualitative standpoint, the collector should consider the VG coin grade for any example with a date between those merely identifiable and those that are clear.

Once a Standing Liberty quarter reaches a stage where its date can easily be readable, the coin attains a grade in the "fine" range. Readability in this context should not be confused with clarity. The date is a large-size detail on the Standing Liberty quarter design, and if every digit is easily read with the naked eye, it is considered "readable," yet it may still display considerable wear. The example coin demonstrates how every number can blend with the surrounding platform while concurrently displaying clear digits. In a plebeian sense, the "fine" grade is the first to show a Standing Liberty quarter with a full date.

Standing Liberty quarters at the "very fine" grade display a date with all four date digits clearly showing on the platform. These digits will still show wear, and the height of the design along the z-axis will be modest, but no number should blend with any surrounding detail. The first two digits of the example coin are well outlined. The second two digits show moderate weakness at the number tops, yet both are still full. Some strike issues likely contributed to the relative weakness of the "6" and second "1" in this example. The coin would represent an average candidate for the VF grade.

"Extremely fine" Standing Liberty quarters are an upgraded version of those in the VF range. An XF specimen will show roughly the same amount of detail as seen on a VF, but any hindrances found on the latter should no longer be present on any coin grading XF. The date should be bold and completely outlined. The difference between coins grading XF and those at even loftier grades lies in the high points of the number surfaces. The example coin shows a bold date, but under magnification, every digit shows evidence of repeated handling on the surfaces of the numbers. Enough detail remains for everything to be considered completely clear, yet the wear is higher than what is allowed for an AU coin.

Standing Liberty quarters in the "about uncirculated" range present a bold and fully outlined date. As with any coin in this series, even uncirculated ones, strike weakness can hinder the design, but such considerations aside, the date detail should be perfect with only hints of wear. The example coin displays just such a minor strike weakness on the first "1," yet the date is prominent in all other aspects. More important, and this is the primary criterion for differentiating between an XF and an AU coin, is the lack of handing wear on the surface of the date digits. The date and surely the rest of the coin still show some original mint luster at the AU grade.

Perhaps more than in any other series featured on this site, Standing Liberty quarters will have visible wear on coins graded AU, which obviously does not exist on any "brilliant uncirculated" coin. These coins wore quickly, which was always a contemporary complaint about them. Since striking issues can be confused with wear, especially if the wear is minimal, it is better to make a judgment based on luster. AU coins will have some luster, but the luster on BU coins will be full and grand.

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