2003-P Alabama State Quarter : A Collector’s Guide

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes …..
 

Alabama became the 22nd state to join the Union when it ratified the United States Constitution on December 14, 1819, and so the 2003-P Alabama State Quarter became the 22nd entry in the 50 State Quarters series. Released on March 17, 2003, it was the second quarter issued in the fifth year of the popular program. The design, featuring civil rights pioneer Helen Keller and an inscription in braille, was selected by Alabama Governor Don Siegelman (D) in January 2001.

Perhaps more familiar to earlier generations, Helen Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, on June 27, 1880. In late 1881, at just 19 months old, Keller developed a serious illness that left her blind and deaf. Over several years, Keller developed a communication method with her family through signs. Still, it was not until Keller began to receive formal education from specialists that she made her breakthrough.

Keller’s curiosity about the world around her was described by those who knew her as unbounded. She dedicated much of her younger years to attaining a formal education and developing ways to communicate with the outside world. She learned how to use braille, read sign language with her fingers, and ultimately learned to speak. Keller was the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree and was a regular on the lecture circuit.

As an adult, Keller was committed to social justice through political activism. This part of Keller’s legacy is mostly lost now, in part due to our country’s mythologizing of Keller as a young woman who overcame tremendous disability. What made Keller exceptional was not only that she overcame these obstacles but also that she was a highly intelligent person with a complex understanding of the social inequities built into the American system.

She fought for the rights of women, the disabled, and workers. She wrote columns and essays promoting socialist thought and in 1913 published the book Out of the Dark: Essays, Letters, and Addresses on Physical and Social Vision. She was friends with and voted for Eugene Debs, the five-time presidential candidate from the Socialist Party of America. She felt that capitalism had outlived its usefulness and admired the Soviet Union as a first attempt of workers to establish an organized society.

Given Alabama’s conservative politics, Helen Keller, it seems, was a radical choice for the state’s quarter. Most likely, Keller the myth rather than Keller the flesh-and-blood, politically emboldened intellectual was chosen to grace the reverse.

The 2003 Alabama State Quarter featuring Helen Keller is ranked #2 in Ron Guth’s survey of the 100 Greatest Women on Coins (Whitman Publishing, 2015).

What Is the 2003-P Alabama State Quarter Worth?

At the height of their popularity, interest in the 50 State Quarters series approached a national mania. The earliest issues traded on late-night coin television shopping shows for significant premiums over face value with the promise of one day being major collectibles. And while it’s true that the 50 State Quarters are collectibles, their long-term price performance is more in line with what you would expect for any mass-produced object hoarded en masse.

Numismatic standard references list the value of uncirculated examples at between $1 and $2, and that is about what you would expect to pay for one on eBay or at a local coin shop. With so much ready supply, one should not expect a dealer to pay more than 5¢ or 10¢ over face value unless the coins are in an original U.S. Mint roll or bag.

Certified coins in Superb Gem grades are another matter altogether.

The 2003-P is one of the scarcest of the 50 State Quarter issues to earn the grade MS68 by either PCGS or NGC. With a sample size of 1,008 examples graded, PCGS shows a population of three coins in this grade, with none finer. NGC has certified 296 examples, with four in MS68 and none finer.

To date, no 50 State Quarter business strike issue has graded MS70 and only a few hundred examples from across the entire series have graded MS69. There are a handful of examples of Satin Finish Mint Set coins produced after 2005 that have earned the “ultimate” grade, but these coins have a distinctive finish and should not be considered in the same class as coins struck for circulation.

Even with a combined population of seven MS68 coins for this issue, it is difficult to ascertain a market value for the coin at that grade. The PCGS Price Guide says $3,000 but provides no market information to justify the price. It’s possible that examples traded hands in private treaty sales at or around these market levels, but pricing information on coins decays quickly without repeat instances of similar prices realized. Given that the 50 State Quarters series is less popular today than when it was in production, one can assume that the value of a population 3 top pop 2003-P Alabama State Quarter might not be as high today as it once was. The only way to find out is to see one come to market.

Much easier to determine is the value of a 2003-P Alabama quarter in MS67. Given that the MS68 is seldom seen, examples in MS67 carry a higher premium than the Denver Mint issue for the year and routinely bring prices between $25 and $30. Keep in mind that the cost of submission for a modern coin to either grading service is about $20 per coin when fees like shipping and handling are taken into account. Also, the differences in quality between a coin that is MS67 and one that is MS68 are minuscule and may be unrecognizable to most collectors.

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Market Data and Noteworthy Specimens

Top Population: PCGS MS68 (3, 8/2024), NGC MS68 (4, 8/2024), and CAC N/A (0:0 stickered:graded, 8/2024).

• NGC MS68 #6528753-002: GreatCollections, October 15, 2023, Lot 1457529 – View.
• NGC MS67PL #1536396-003: Heritage, December 27, 2016, Lot 28057 – $30.
• NGC MS67 #1836363-119: eBay, August 4, 2024, Lot 186602537320 – $40.
• PCGS MS67 #71821732: “The Erasmus Hall Registry Set of Statehood Quarters,” GreatCollections, August 22, 2021, Lot 1034254 – View.
• PCGS MS67 #41273885: GreatCollections, August 15, 2021, Lot 1034627 – View.
• PCGS MS67 #21410911: GreatCollections, April 8, 2018, Lot 534139 – View.
• PCGS MS67 #40058263: GreatCollections, March 25, 2018, Lot 532440 – View.
• PCGS MS67 #21367448: GreatCollections, September 17, 2017, Lot 494954 – View.
• PCGS MS67 #03997369: GreatCollections, March 10, 2013, Lot 18395 – View.
• PCGS MS67 #22090385: Heritage, December 2, 2007, Lot 23424 – $59.

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Design

Obverse:

William Cousin’s adaptation of John Flanagan’s original obverse design with slight revisions. The bust portraiture is slightly reduced and the coin’s inscriptions have been reorganized to accommodate the inclusion of the legend and denomination, which on the pre-’99 issues appeared on the reverse. Wrapping around the top of the design is the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. The word LIBERTY appears underneath Washington’s chin on the left. The motto IN GOD WE TRUST is moved to the right side of the coin, behind Washington’s hair. The P mintmark for the Philadelphia Mint appears below the motto. The denomination QUARTER DOLLAR wraps around the bottom of the design. The initials JF and WC are in the bust truncation.

Reverse:

Helen Keller is depicted sitting in a chair from a three-quarters perspective. In her lap is a book, which she reads using the tips of her fingers. Underneath her chair is a ribbon or banner upon which is inscribed SPIRIT OF COURAGE. Keller’s portrait is bordered to the left by a long-leaf pine branch and on the right by two red camellia blossoms (the Mint refers to these as magnolia blossoms). Keller’s name appears to the right of her portrait, first in Braille and beneath that in the Latin alphabet. The initials NEN appear beneath the ribbon and refer to United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Norman E. Nemeth, who designed the reverse. Wrapping around the top is the state name ALABAMA, followed beneath by the date of admission into the United States: 1819. Wrapping around the bottom of the design is the date 2003 and the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM.

Edge:

The edge of the 2003-P Alabama State Quarter, like all Washington Quarters, is reeded.

Designers

American sculptor John Flanagan’s work in the medallic and metal arts ranks him as one of the best artists of his generation. For generations of coin collectors, he is best known for his Washington quarter design (View Designer’s Profile).

William Cousins worked at the Franklin Mint from 1967 through 1990, rising to be Director of Sculpture by his departure. He began working at the United States Mint as a sculptor-engraver in 1990 and retired in 2000.

Sculptor-Engraver Norman E. Nemeth worked at the Franklin Mint for 11 years before joining the United States Mint.

Coin Specifications

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