The 1976 Bicentennial Quarter is one of the most sought-after modern coins being collected today, and that fact increases the value of any variety, error or design deviation on any of the clad Philadelphia/Denver and silver San Francisco mints.
The most valuable of errors, really a variety because all coins of the 1976-D were struck that way, is the doubling especially noticeable on the “R” of “Liberty.” Let’s focus on that first before we list some of the possible errors you might find on this popular quarter.
PCGS has labeled this double die FS-101, and depending on the condition of the coin (to be discussed later) on the Sheldon 1-70 scale, you might hit the jackpot if you can find one.
A lesser double die is the FS-102 variety:
To see if you have found one of these, again compare the “R” in “Liberty” and you will note that the FS-102 variety lacks a clear double die on the left stem of the letter “R”:
PCGS explains the error in this video:
The DDO is so rare that PCGS has only holdered fewer than 60 of this type. However, it estimates that 850 are out there. So you still can find one.
Even lower grades like this coin bring high premiums worth hundreds of dollars:
When searching for these varieties, you might turn up the fool’s gold of machine rather than hub doubling. Machine doubling happens when a loose die bounces slightly. The DD is flat and not part of the letter. Machine doubled coins do not bring premiums but buyer’s remorse.
You can read more about machine doubling at the John A. Wexler website.
Note that earlier I said “any” error or design deviation. That means you need to know what to look for, including such terms as cud, broadstruck, lamination, misalignment, filled/repunched mint mark and so on. Before you search for these, consult Proxiblog’s illustrated glossary.
Some common errors found on 1976 Philadelphia/Denver Bicentennial quarters include misaligned die, struck through grease, off center strike, filled mintmark and rotated collar.
If you find a high grade DDO/filled mint mark Bicentennial quarter, you really might have struck it rich with this variety/error combination.
To estimate the grade, consult the PCGS Photograde website:
High grades on Bicentennial quarters without any errors also bring high premiums, often in the hundreds and thousands for MS67+, MS68 and the rarest, MS69.
You are not going to find those high grades in pocket change. The best places are rolls and US Mint products. Those depicted below are available from the coin company APMEX:
That brings us to condition issues. Value decreases if a Details grade is given to any error, variety or design deviation of the Bicentennial quarter. That means damage, cleaning, artificial coloring and other issues that deny a numerical grade.
Be especially wary about these issues if bidding on a raw coin. Amateur sellers typically just post a face value coin, call it a DDO and ask for Buy It Now/Best Offer prices in the hundreds. Here’s an example of a cleaned face value quarter that this seller wants $440 for:
If you do not know how to grade or find errors, only bid and buy holdered Bicentennial quarters from PCGS, NGC, ANACS and CAC.
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You can find more information about grading, varieties, errors, bidding and buying on eBay in my new book, Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.
