Seated Quarters

  • Value: 25 US Cents
  • Silver Content: 0.18084 oz
  • Diameter: 24.3 mm
  • Minted from 1916-1930

Seated Quarter Coins

More Quarter Coins: Barber Quarter – Washington Quarter

Minted between 1916 and 1930

The following is some useful and interesting information about seated silver quarters.

The Seated Silver Quarter was produced by the United States Mint from 1836 until 1891. This series of coins was available in several dominations including the quarter, a half dollar, a dime and a twenty cent piece. The design features a likeness of the ‘Goddess of Liberty,’ which resembles the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. The seated silver quarter was produced in a few of the United States Mint locations including the one in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The design on the seated quarter was designed by the famed Chief Engraver of the United States Mint, Christian Gobrecht.

Gobrecht held the prestigious position at the U.S. Mint from 1840 until his death in 1844. In only four years, Gobrecht has been credited with creating a lasting legacy with his designs that are on coins still in circulation till this day. One of Gobrecht’s collaborators on the seated silver quarter was, portrait painter Thomas Sully. It was Sully who actually did the drawing for the coins in the Liberty series of coins, including the Seated Silver Quarter. Sully who was born in London immigrated to the US as a child and lived in Philadelphia until his death in 1872. Sully and Gobrecht collaborated on several US coins during their partnership. He was a very acclaimed painter during his lifetime.

Sully’s work included portraits of US Presidents, Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. The reverse sides of the silver seated quarter featured an Eagle about to take flight with a striped shield appearing on the front midsection of the Eagle. This reserve side, was also designed by Gobrecht, but the final drawing was done by Thomas Sully. Since the original design of these quarters, there have been some minor modifications to the design before they were no longer produced by the US Mint.

The coins in the Liberty series had unique markings on them, which indicted which mint produced that particular coin. On the Seated Sliver Quarter, the mint marking appears right below the eagle. By 1879 the seated silver quarter and the rest of the coins in the Liberty series were no longer produced by any mint in the United States. These quarters are heavily sort after by all different types of coin collectors. Since they haven’t been produced for more than a 140 years, they are old and if in pristine condition, can be very valuable. The exact value of these seated silver quarters greatly depends on the condition they are in. These coins are prominently displayed at various coin galleries and coin shows around the country, and are considered highly prized pieces in many collections.