By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek ….
Hard to believe but it’s been almost 20 years since the United States Mint inaugurated its 50 State Quarters program. For a certain generation, it was the first real change in U.S. coinage they had ever experienced–at once exciting as a variety of new designs began to pop up and bittersweet as the familiar heraldic eagle slowly disappeared. In the decades since, the series (and the unique experience it represents) has become something of a touchstone for collectors, many of whom got their start by looking for the latest state quarter in pocket change.
If you were there, then you might remember not just the excitement of the new program but also the speculation that occured at the very beginning. The first of the 50 States quarters, representing Delaware, was released on January 4, 1999. And on that first night, the anticipation was such that rolls of Uncirculated quarters from both Philadelphia and Denver were already selling on certain television programs at many times over face.
The market calmed down, of course, as the market often does. But many of us who were inspired to start collecting back then must surely wonder sometimes how the first circulating commemorative quarter released since America’s Bicentennial has fared in the intervening 19 years. Do those early speculators have any reason to be happy today? Or, perhaps a better question: Which of the four types of 1999 Delaware quarter has done best in the aftermarket, and in what grade or condition?
About the 1999 Delaware State Quarter
The 50 States Commemorative Coin Program Act was signed by President Clinton on December 1, 1997. Sponsored by Representative Michael Castle (R-DE) in the House and Senator John Chafee (R-RI) in the Senate, the Act authorized the production of 50 commemorative quarters released five per year over 10 years. Each quarter would feature a different reverse design as determined by the individual states themselves. As for the obverse, adjustments were made to John Flanagan’s effigy of George Washington (itself based on a bust by French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon) and all of the inscriptions were repositioned to accomodate the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA at the top.
These revisions to the original quarter design were made by U.S. Mint sculptor/engraver William Cousins, and they appeared on all of the subsequent 50 State, U.S. Territories and America the Beautiful quarters. Cousins also designed the very first state quarter reverse for Delaware, featuring native son and Founding Father Caesar Rodney on horseback, who famously rode from Dover to Philadelphia during a thunderstorm to break a tie and ensure that Delware would vote for independence from Britain. The inscriptions “CAESAR RODNEY” and “THE FIRST STATE” are prominently displayed, and the inscription “DELAWARE” is at the top of the side. The date 1787–the year Delaware became a state–is immediately underneath, and the second part of the dual date–1999–is at the bottom, stating the coin’s year of issue.
By no means a rare coin, 373,400,000 clad business strike quarters were minted in Philadelphia and 401,424,000 were struck in Denver. The San Francisco Mint produced 3,713,359 Proofs in clad and 804,565 Proof quarters in 90% silver.
I have a 1999 d quarter with the Caesar Rodney on it. Could you give me a rough estimate please
I have a 1999 P-ment Delaware Quarter what is it worth?
I have Delaware Quarter what is it worth
I have a Delaware 1787 what is it worth
NEED THE VALUE OF A 1999D DELAWARE QUORTER COIN.
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Nostalgia isn’t going to support current prices for PR-70 coins though it may for conditionally “rare” MS coins with very low population counts. Anyone can satisfy this nostalgia for the $12 mentioned in this article and down to 25 cents. There is no need to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars for what is actually an incredibly common coin where the actual difference in quality between two proximate grades is numismatically irrelevant.
Otherwise, there is every reason to believe the Delaware SQ and all others in this series will continue to be financial losers. The supply of these coins below the conditionally “rare” grade is a large to huge multiple to that reported in the TPG population today. These coins were saved in huge numbers in bank rolls and bags from day one.
In the internet age, this series above a nominal price also isn’t remotely competitive versus comparably priced alternatives. Spending $12 (or near it) is one thing since it’s basically the cost of a movie ticket or lunch at a mid-priced restaurant.
Spending multiple hundreds never mind thousands is another consideration entirely. There are a large number of coins which most collectors overwhelmingly consider “better” than any SQ and the falling prices cited in your article demonstrate that collectors see this too and are buying something else instead.