Collecting US Quarters for Beginning Coin Collectors

Collecting coins is a fun past time for many people. It is an easy activity for children to get involved in by just going through mom and dad’s pocket change.  If you are just getting started as a coin collector, starting with Quarters is an easy option. Here are a few tips on how to get started using the US quarter.

Collecting US Quarters
With the development of the Washington US quarter in 1932, it has opened up a lot of opportunities for collecting.  From 1932 to 1998, the US Mint produced the Washington head quarter.  Starting in 1999, the mint switched to the 50 states quarters which was a program where the Mint produced 5 quarters a year depicting the states in the Union that ratified the Constitution or were admitted into the Union.  These coins were produced until 2008 with the final coin being released for Hawaii.

By collecting quarters, you have several choices on what to collect depending on your preference.  Many people started collecting the States coins as they were distributed from the Mint.  Using special coin collecting books helps keep the coins in order and clean. Since the state coins were only produced for about 10 weeks in the year they were minted, it can be a bit difficult to find perfect coins. Using a coin dealer may be a good choice to find uncirculated coins.

Another choice in collecting US Quarters is collecting the original Washington head coins.  There are 2 different ways that a collector can collect these and that has to do with the silver content.  From the time they were first minted in 1932 to 1964, the content contained 90% silver.  After 1964, the content changed to a copper and nickel based coin.  The value difference is different by year and also by mint.  So many collectors will break down their collection by year, silver or non-silver content and the mint.

Many of the coins you may be able to find in circulation, but the older the coin, the more likely you will need to use a dealer.  Keep in mind that the less wear and tear, the better the value. Also if you want un-circulated coins, then you are looking at investment pieces that will make your coin collections more valuable both in outlay and in overall value.