State quarter errors: which ones are real and worth checking

The best-known state quarter varieties are the 2004-D Wisconsin extra leaf (high and low) and the 2005-P Minnesota doubled die with an extra tree. Grease-filled letters, die cracks and off-center strikes also turn up, but many "errors" in change are simply damage.

By the Coin Scanner team · Updated 2026-10-13

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Why state quarters are full of "errors"

The U.S. Mint launched the 50 State Quarters Program in 1999 and issued five designs a year, in the order the states ratified the Constitution or joined the Union, ending with Hawaii in 2008. The Mint estimates 147 million Americans collected them. For dates, silver years and key issues across the whole series, see our Washington quarter value guide. With billions of coins struck and millions of people looking closely at every new design, a lot of oddities were reported. A few are genuine, recognized varieties; many more are ordinary wear, damage or minor die flaws.

Two terms help: a variety is a difference built into a die, so it repeats on every coin struck from it. A mint error is a one-off mistake during manufacturing, such as a coin struck off-center. Neither includes damage that happened after the coin left the press.

The state quarter errors and varieties to know

2004-D Wisconsin extra leaf (high and low)

Some Denver Wisconsin quarters show an extra leaf on the ear of corn. On the low version the extra leaf arcs downward; on the high version it points up toward the rim. According to PCGS, a Tucson coin dealer first reported them late in 2004, and in an early sample of 220 coins three showed the high leaf and nine the low leaf. PCGS certifies both as separate varieties. A Treasury Inspector General review, reported by Numismatic News in July 2008, estimated up to 50,000 extra-leaf coins were made at Denver, ruled out clashed dies and did not find deliberate misconduct; the exact cause was never pinned down.

2005-P Minnesota doubled die reverse ("extra tree")

More than 50 different doubled dies are known on Philadelphia Minnesota quarters. In a doubled die, the design was impressed twice, slightly offset, while the die was being made. The major one, FS-801, shows a partial ghost tree with three spruce boughs just right of the fourth tree to the right of the state outline, near the center of the reverse. PCGS wrote in December 2020 that a few thousand of this variety are known, that some sold for $500 during the initial excitement in 2005, and that PCGS CoinFacts listed MS65 coins at around $40 and MS67 at around $275.

2005-P Kansas "In God We Rust"

On some Kansas quarters the T in TRUST is weak or missing, so the motto reads "IN GOD WE RUST." This happens when grease or debris packs into the letter on the die, so the coin is struck through it. NGC notes that heavy grease can wipe out most of a design (its example is a 1999 Virginia quarter), while small struck-throughs usually do not earn a Mint Error notation on an NGC holder. A single faint letter falls in that minor category.

1999-P Delaware "spitting horse"

Collectors use this nickname for 1999 Delaware quarters with a raised line running from the horse's mouth, caused by a crack in the die. As a die starts to fail, cracks let a little metal flow up into them, which is why the line stands up from the surface. NGC does not attribute minor die cracks as errors or varieties, so these coins are collected as popular curiosities rather than major varieties.

Off-center, broadstrike and wrong planchet

These one-off mint errors occur on every series. An off-center strike happens when the blank is not seated in the collar, so part of the design is missing. A broadstrike is struck without the retaining collar, leaving a wider, rimless coin with the full design. A wrong planchet coin is struck on a blank meant for another denomination or metal, for example a quarter design on a blank cut for a different coin. Large, dramatic examples command the most interest.

The lowest-mintage state quarters

Figures are from the U.S. Mint's production spreadsheets for each year. The highest state total was Virginia (2000) at 1,594,616,000. Even the lowest issues number in the hundreds of millions, so a low mintage alone does not make a circulated state quarter valuable.

Real error or damage?

1. Identify the coin. Note the state, year and mint mark (our mint mark guide shows where to look). The Wisconsin extra leaf is a Denver (D) variety; the major Minnesota doubled die is a Philadelphia (P) coin.
2. Feel and look for raised metal. Die cracks, extra leaves and doubled details stand up from the surface. Scratches, gouges and dents cut into it.
3. Compare with known varieties. A real variety matches a documented location and shape. A random line somewhere else is usually damage.
4. Be wary of color and size changes. Plating, heat and acid can change a quarter's color or thickness after it left the Mint; these are not errors.
5. Scan both sides with Coin Scanner. It identifies the state design, reads the date and mint mark, and gives an estimated value range for the issue.

What drives value

For a genuine variety, value depends on how clear the feature is, the grade and whether a major grading service has attributed it. For a mint error, size and drama matter most: a heavily off-center or wrong-planchet coin draws more interest than a faint letter. Remember that the prices above are dated reports; for anything that looks significant, get it authenticated and graded by PCGS or NGC before you sell or pay a premium.

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