Description

The Standing Liberty quarter is a 25-cent coin that was struck by the United States Mint from 1916 to 1930. It succeeded the Barber quarter, which had been minted since 1892.

It was designed by Massachusetts sculptor Hermon A. MacNeil. The initial design (Type 1) included a bare-breasted Liberty, which was redesigned quickly. Instead of covering Liberty's breast with the same flowing material of the rest of her dress, the designer clothed her in a coat of mail (Type 2). The reverse design was also re-worked in 1917; the eagle was moved more to the center of the coin and three of the thirteen stars that used to be on the sides of the reverse were now placed beneath the majestic bird.

A second modification to the design occurred in 1925, when the area containing the date was recessed. Prior to this, the date was placed in the same relief as the other parts of the design, which allowed it to be completely worn away in circulation. There were no further modifications to the design for the remainder of the series.

Well struck examples are the most desirable and much attention is focused on Liberty's head. So-called "Full Head" examples (those with complete details) often bring considerable premiums over poorly struck examples, but attention should also be paid to the rivets on the shield. Any coin with a Full Head and full rivets is a true prize.

The real "key" to this series is the classic 1918-S 8 over 7 overdate, a coin that is extremely desirable in all grades and which is exceedingly rare in Uncirculated condition.