Illustrated Specimen Details: Quarter
Example Specimen: Quarter, 1908 — United States of America
Design & Symbolism: Widely known among numismatists as the "Barber Quarter", this silver coin features a rich allegorical design. The obverse depicts the personification of Liberty wearing a Phrygian cap and a laurel wreath, descending from images of the ancient Roman goddess Libertas. She is surrounded by 13 stars and the official motto IN GOD WE TRUST.
The reverse displays a heraldic bald eagle based on the Great Seal of the President of the United States. The eagle holds an olive branch and arrows, surrounded by 13 stars — representing the original British colonies that formed the USA in 1776. The scroll in the eagle's beak carries the traditional Latin motto E PLURIBUS UNUM ("Out of many, one"), which symbolically consists of exactly 13 letters. The denomination is inscribed as QUARTER DOLLAR. Below the eagle's tail feathers is the D mint mark, indicating production at the Denver Mint.
Denomination: Quarter Dollar (25 cents)
Date: 1908
Metal: Silver (0.900)
Weight: 6.29 g | Diameter: 24 mm
Mint: Denver Mint (D)
Mintage: 5,788,000
Estimated value: 14$
DENOMINATION GUIDE — WHERE & WHEN (coins catalog: by names & emitents)
QUARTER as a coin name.
The term "quarter", directly reflects its face value: one-quarter of a dollar. The United States Mint has been producing this 25-cent coin, alongside the dime, since 1796. Interestingly, the earliest issues indicated the value as "25 cents", and it was not until 1838 that the now-familiar wording "Quarter Dollar" was officially adopted on the coinage.
Historical Context and Design Evolution
The "Barber Quarter" belongs to a famous family of coins designed by United States Bureau of the Mint Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber. This series, which also included a dime and a half dollar, was minted during the period of 1892-1916. Barber's design replaced the long-running Seated Liberty motif after a public design competition failed to yield a suitable replacement.
Throughout its history, the quarter has seen several major design eras: the Draped Bust (1796-1807), Capped Bust (1815-1838), Seated Liberty (1838-1891), Barber (1892-1916), Standing Liberty (1916-1930), and the iconic Washington Quarter (1932-present). Until 1964, regular circulation quarters were struck in 0.900 fine silver. However, due to the rising global price of silver, the Coinage Act of 1965 authorized a composition change. Since then, standard quarters have been manufactured from a copper-nickel clad alloy, ending the era of circulating silver.
Modern Commemorative Era
Beyond standard circulation strikes, the quarter has become the canvas for the most extensive commemorative programs in US numismatic history. The first major shift occurred with the "Washington Bicentennial" issue (1975-1976), honoring the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with a special drummer boy reverse.
The coin collecting hobby was massive revolutionized in 1999 with the launch of the "50 State Quarters" program. Over ten years, 50 unique designs were released at a rate of five per year, sparking immense public interest. Mintages for these were staggering — ranging from nearly 417 million for Oklahoma to over 1.5 billion for Virginia. Following this success, the Mint expanded the concept with the 2009 "District of Columbia and US Territories" series, and later the "America the Beautiful Quarters" program (2010-2021), which highlighted national parks and natural wonders across all 50 states and 6 jurisdictions.