1976-s bicentennial circulated silver coin 2 2

[Robertdpg]

I have a 1976 bicentennial quarter that is silver. It doesn't have a mirror like finish but is in very good condition. Any thoughts on the worth? How do I make sure of what it is with out having it graded?

[cobymordet]

Hi Robertdpg,

It is best to provide cropped photos of the front and back of the coin in question.  It helps us get a better sense of your inquiry.  And we can generally determine what it is.  Typically, if the value of the coin is unable to exceed the cost of grading, it is not generally recommended to be graded.  It sounds like your coin is the Silver variant, as opposed to the Silver Proof variant.  That coin (silver variant) at MS-65, runs not much over $10.  The Silver Proof variant runs just a few dollars more.  It generally can cost upwards of $100 to be graded. 

Edited November 11, 2023 by cobymordet
smudged coffee stain, twice.

[dprince1138]

Excluding any sort of minting or die error (none listed on the NGC source), the highest circulated (AU58) price is indicated at about $3.40.  However, sales on ebay indicate that a silver that has a mint mark of "D", or no mint mark, is very rare and worth quite a bit.  The silver mint mark is generally "S".

The top sales price for circulated on ebay seems to be about $5-$10.

Edited November 11, 2023 by dprince1138

[Robertdpg]

The 1976 quarter that was silver and was struck as a regular strike to be placed into regular circulation just sold for close to $20,000. 
 

I have a 1976 bicentennial silver proof that was graded at Pr 69. It was not meant for circulation. 
 

The one that brought that much was a silver strike meant for regular circulation with the s meant mark. I’ll try to figure out how to put pictures of it on here.

[Robertdpg]

If you will look at the images you can tell the coin was not meant for a proof because the background doesn’t have the mirroring so it was probably a regular strike. 
 

The S meant only produced like 7mil silver coins for regular circulation very few of them kept a high grade because they were in regular circulation the best known grade at pr69 brought at auction close to $20,000.

That being said how would I go about seeing if this is one of them?

you can see what I’m talking about by googling 1976 bicentennial quarter that brought close to $20,000.

[cobymordet]

On 11/11/2023 at 2:52 AM, Robertdpg said:

The 1976 quarter that was silver and was struck as a regular strike to be placed into regular circulation just sold for close to $20,000. 

I am not sure what coin you are referring to so I did a quick search and only found this information " ...1976-S Bicentennial Silver Quarter that came in with a very high grade — sold for $19,200 at auction a few years ago, according to the Chronicle Collectibles website...."  If this is the coin to which you are referring, the reason it sold for high price is because of the rarity of the grade given.  Most, if not all coins from the 70's lacked significant quality control which made high grade coins rare and valuable.  If you have the story regarding the 20k Quarter, please add it to this thread, it will help in determining why the coin demanded such a price. 

Regarding silver versions specifically, to my limited knowledge, there were only two Silver variants produced, both being 40% silver: an Uncirculated strike and a Proof strike. Neither of which were meant for circulation, both of which were meant to be collectable keepsakes.  Although I have found a couple of proof coins that have been circulated, it is highly irregular.   Later today, the more knowledgeable members will provide their opinion regarding your coin.  Be sure to have photos added.  Unfortunately, it is a moot point until there is visual evidence to review.  Below are the silver commemorative sets offered between 1975 & 1976. 

 

Uncirculated set:

Proof set:

 

[cobymordet]

On 11/11/2023 at 3:16 AM, Robertdpg said:

The S meant only produced like 7mil silver coins for regular circulation very few of them kept a high grade because they were in regular circulation the best known grade at pr69 brought at auction close to $20,000.

First, instead of using the scope for pics, just use your camera on your phone.  Capture the whole coin, front and back. 

If, in fact the 20k coin you are referring to was graded PR69, then that coin was a Silver Proof coin.  To my understanding, only proof coins are labeled as PR.  A circulation strike coin would be labeled as MS.  Your coin, based on what you said ("...no mirror finish...") would clearly not be a Proof coin, therefore not be comparable to the coin that sold for 20k.

[Robertdpg]

No the San Francisco meant also producing silver coins for regular circulation not just proofs. The silver ones that were placed into circulation are the rare ones at the high grade.

https://www.chroniclecollectibles.com/most-valuable-bicentennial-quarters/
 

This article might help.

[dprince1138]

Also, pay no attention to those who may ridicule you.

"I know of a good proctologist to extract that stick, or, at least, find a smaller one".

[Robertdpg]

The coin that sold for so much did not have a deep cameo because they were regular strike meant for circulation. The real silver coins that were meant for circulation most do not grade very high. 
 

There are plenty of pr70 proof silver coins but very few that were meant for regular circulation. There have only been 3 that were meant for regular circulation that even graded to a pr 69 

[Robertdpg]

The person that said pr was for proof coins was right the one that sold for $20,000 was a ms 69 not a proof. 
 

the MS 69 was the highest silver circulation coins fond so far. 

They were not meant for proofs.

[Robertdpg]

Cobymoret you are right the coin that sold for $20,000 was not a Pr69 it was a MS69 because the rare silver ones with this high grade were regular strikes. 

Here are the coins with my phone camera as you can see my phone camera is not very good that is why I used the scope.

 

[cobymordet]

Robertdpg,

I believe that you may misunderstanding the term circulation.  There were no silver bicentennial quarters, half-dollars or dollars produced at any US Mint that were "meant" for circulation.  Those silver "Uncirculated" and "Proof" sets were meant to be collected and saved.  Never opened and spent.  It would be wasteful and a bit ignorant for a person to spend a silver coin that had more value than face in Silver content in 1976 or later.

(This is from the article you sent a link for. . . no grades associated with sale price)

Round-up List

The top 5 rarest and most valuable Bicentennial quarters on our list and their auctions records are as follows:

• 1976 Bicentennial Quarter, Clad (Regular Strike): $1,119.99
• 1976-S Bicentennial Quarter, Clad (Proof): $6,038
• 1976-D Bicentennial Quarter, Clad (Regular Strike): $6,462.50
• 1976-S Bicentennial Quarter, Silver (Proof): $13,500
• 1976-S Bicentennial Quarter, Silver (Regular Strike): $19,200

On 11/11/2023 at 3:16 AM, Robertdpg said:

The S meant only produced like 7mil silver coins for regular circulation very few of them kept a high grade because they were in regular circulation the best known grade at pr69 brought at auction close to $20,000.

Earlier in your posts, you stated PR69, if that was correct or incorrect, it doesn't really make a difference.  The reason the coin sold for what it sold for was because of the quality of the coin.  As you repeatedly stated, only a few have graded high for a non-proof silver coin.  Your coin, what little of it I can see, is spotted, that alone will negate your coin from coming close to a MS69.  MS69 grade is effectively flawless.  I have included pic of the only four production variants of the 1776-1976 Bicentennial quarter that exist: Clad Regular Strike(P&D), Clad Proof Strike, Silver Regular Strike, and Silver Proof Strike.  Your coin pics are blurry, see if you can steady the camera and try again, review them before you post them, reduction of repetition. 

[cobymordet]

The very bottom line, for you, is that your silver regular strike coin is unfortunately not likely to be comparable to the $20,000 highly graded silver regular strike coin because of your coins' condition.  There is no other factor that differentiates your silver regular strike coin from my silver regular strike coin or from the $20,000 regular strike coin, except for the quality of the coin itself, per what very limited information was available regarding this 20k coin.  I hope this answered your question.  As you can see based on the values of these coins, it is extremely rare to find a nearly perfect coin, more so from a time period when the US Mint was not meeting adequate quality standards.  Youtube can be risky along with random internet stories regarding rare coins found.  you would do better to read about coins on reputable sites that aren't trying to sell you things.  Good luck and enjoy the wonderful world of coin collecting, but please be realistic about finding "unicorn" coins.  You would probably do better buying a lottery ticket.

[Robertdpg]

Cobymoret look at the article that you last refered to if you look at the top five you will see the $20,000 dollar on was a silver regular strike. The San Francisco coin, mint.  Minted about 7 million bicentennial quarters that were silver and placed into regular circulation. 
 

you know yourself that a pr  69 would not have brought $20,000 when there are plenty at a higher grade that sell for a lot less. The one that brought the $20,000 is the one that was a MS69.

[cobymordet]

I have explained what i could explain to you as best that I could explain to you.  I am sorry that you are unable to understand what I have explained.  Hopefully another more qualified member can explain it to you better.

[Robertdpg]

I understand and appreciate your patience. 
 

I do understand that these coins that are rare very seldom come up and a lot of people think they have something of value when they don’t. I do know that the San Francisco mint had 11 million silver coins that were business strikes and were put into regular circulation. 
 

The coin I have in the picture is a 1976 s it is silver and it doesn’t have the mirror finish like a proof does just like the silver one that brought $20,000 because they were business strikes. It’s the grade that makes the difference. 

[J P M]

Hello Robertdpg . Most of the members here that have commented all have given you very good answers. Your coin may be from someone cutting open the uncirculated silver set to get the IKE Dollar and Kennedy half, out of the set in the red, white and blue package. No matter it is a cool find . Can I ask if you have weighed the coin yet . That would also help with some nicer photos' Try placing your phone on a can to hold it steady and then zoom in to only get the coin from rim to rim . Also use a white piece of paper to place the coin on for the shot.

[powermad5000]

On 11/11/2023 at 5:41 AM, Robertdpg said:

It’s the grade that makes the difference.

You have said it yourself here. If it were different from this then I would be rich! See my coin below. It is an Uncirculated Silver strike, one meant to be collected but worked its way into circulation. I have gotten about four proof coins in recent years in circulation. Those are definitely not meant to be circulated but I got them from cash register change. Things like this happen for any number of reasons, such as the death of the collector, and the family knows nothing and dumps all the coins into circulation. Or a child gets into the collection and uses proofs to buy bubble gum.

One of these selling for that amount of money in MS would have to be nearly flawless and MS 69 is a tough grade for basically any coin to achieve. To give you an idea, I don't believe there are ANY Morgan or Peace dollars graded MS 69. Zero.

Coinage from the 70's and 80's especially was not known for high quality strikes. Many had weakly struck or poorly struck coins for many of those years, the 76 included and strike quality is one of the factors involved in a coin achieving a very high grade. I will state, just because you may have found a coin not meant to be circulated in a roll or cash register or got it from the change dispenser at the self checkout or found it in the Coinstar machine, does not equate to it being an astronomically high dollar coin just because it is not supposed to be there.

 

[Robertdpg]

[powermad5000]

All I can say at this point after having read this entire thread and also posting a response to it, despite everything said here, I see you continue to provide some kind of justification that you possess a very expensive coin.

If that is how you feel, then submit this coin for grading after which you can then sell it.

[cobymordet]

On 11/11/2023 at 5:05 AM, cobymordet said:

I have explained what i could explain to you as best that I could explain to you.  I am sorry that you are unable to understand what I have explained.  Hopefully another more qualified member can explain it to you better.

Robertdpg,

Conviction is good, until it isn't.  Your knowledge of coins is limited.  Other members, more experienced than me, have effectively agreed that your coin does not meet the quality comparison of a MS-69.  It will not make you feel better but every single coin collector has experienced the excitement of finding something valuable only to have that hope dashed by reality.  It will happen to you time and time again if you choose not to educate yourself about coins.

On 11/11/2023 at 2:35 PM, powermad5000 said:

If that is how you feel, then submit this coin for grading after which you can then sell it.

I would suggest the very same thing.  Unfortunately, for you, the only way you will accept the reality of the condition of your coin is to spend $75-$120 to have the coin graded.  It will be a learning lesson for either you or us.  I anticipate the odds will be in our favor.  Please let us know how it turns out.

[Sandon]

    Welcome to the NGC chat board.

    Respectfully, you are apparently new to coin collecting and do not have the level of knowledge to understand why it is not possible for your 1976-S silver clad uncirculated issue Bicentennial quarter to achieve the highest awarded grade for this issue of MS 69 and be worth thousands of dollars. I'll try to explain. Such a coin would have to be virtually flawless at 5-7x magnification and be extremely attractive for the issue.   Even the incomplete and/or blurry photos you have provided so far show a scratch on Washington's jaw, a shiny friction spot on his nose, and spotty, unattractive tarnish-type "toning".  Such a coin would not receive a "69" grade from a reputable third-party grading service such as NGC or PCGS and would likely be graded several grades lower. 

   As the advertisement you posted admits, the U.S. mint sold close to five million (4,908,319 to be exact) three-coin uncirculated collectors' sets of silver clad (40% silver) "S" mint Bicentennial coins that included this quarter dollar, as well as the half dollar and dollar.  They are abundantly common. These silver clad coins were not intended to circulate but didn't receive separate handling before being packaged, so the vast majority of them have marks from coin to coin contact or other imperfections. The NGC Census indicates that NGC has graded 2,064 pieces of this issue, most of which were presumably submitted by experienced dealers and collectors who reasonably expected them to receive high enough grades to make the cost of submission worthwhile. Washington Quarters (1932-1998) | Coin Census Population Report | NGC (ngccoin.com), see "1776-1976-S SILVER" issue.  The vast majority of these coins graded from MS 64 to MS 67, with 65 graded MS 68 and only 3 graded MS 69.  PCGS has graded 12,589 pieces of this issue, with a surprising 1,919 graded MS 68 but only 6 graded MS 69. https://www.pcgs.com/pop/detail/category/112?l=washington-quarter-1932-1998&ccid=0&t=3&p=MS&pn=2, see Type 4, PCGS #5898 listing at the bottom of the page.  The NGC Price Guide gives this issue a retail price of $7.50 in MS 64 (quite possible for your spotted coin), $12.50 in MS 65 (see photo posted above), $15 in MS 66, $30 in MS 67 (a high grade for this issue but not worth the cost of submission), $85 in MS 68 (around the break-even point, assuming you already have a paid membership with submission privileges and are submitting other coins), and . . . $10,000 in MS 69. Washington Quarters (1932-1998) | Price Guide & Values | NGC (ngccoin.com)

   The extraordinary prices realized for the few MS 69 graded coins comes from a group of wealthy collectors who insist on having the very highest graded pieces to win registry set competitions on the NGC and PCGS websites. The coins usually sell at auctions held by major numismatic auction houses. Future prices are uncertain. Most collectors don't think that they are worth the money, especially for a common coin like this.

   Coin collecting can be a rewarding pursuit, but like every other endeavor in life, it requires knowledge and experience. Without such knowledge and experience, sending coins to third-party grading service is the last thing you should be thinking about.   Please refer to the resources described in the following forum topics to begin acquiring the necessary knowledge to be a successful collector:

 

 

Edited November 11, 2023 by Sandon
1. Fixed spacing 2. added missing words.

[EagleRJO]

Well said @Sandon .  Some less experienced collectors or laypeople see $$$ when they read about the high MS grade prices and then look at their coins, not realizing that there is a vast difference in low MS or AU (with potential rub marks) grade coins like the op's and the very top grades like an MS69 here.

[powermad5000]

On 11/11/2023 at 4:58 PM, EagleRJO said:

Some less experienced collectors or laypeople see $$$ when they read about the high MS grade prices and then look at their coins,

Which is why I included a graded sample of mine in my reply for the OP to compare the conditions to which was followed by another photo statement of about a $20,000 Bicentennial quarter.

[Just Bob]

When the coin that sold for $19,200 was auctioned, there were only three graded at that level at PCGS. As Sandon stated above, there are now 6. Someone (actually 2 "someones") wanted that coin badly - probably for their PCGS registry set. That is the most likely explanation for the price going so high. The most recent auction of a '76 silver in PCGS MS69 that I could find was in December, 2021. It went for $6600, including juice. I think it is safe to assume that there will never be another one of these quarters that will sell for anywhere near $19k, unless someone finds one that grades MS70.

To the OP: it is impossible to accurately grade your coin from the pictures provided (and even with perfect pictures, grading without seeing the coin in hand is just a matter of educated guessing). However, I don't think your coin would grade high enough to make it worth more than a few dollars. There are several examples graded MS 67 on Ebay right now that are for sale for under $30, and I doubt yours would reach that grade. 

,  

[Halbrook Family]

I'd just throw it in with my junk silver pile in that condition. 

[Marcelo Watson]

Hi.

I have the bicentennial coin and I would like to know if it is silver and if it is worth grading.

I acquired it at an auction in Brazil, which is where I live and there was no information about the metal of the coin.

It has been stored in a capsule ever since.

Attached are the images of my coin.

Thank you for any information and for your time.  

 

[powermad5000]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

You "latched on" to a post from a different person which you should not do if you want opinions on your coin. You should start your own thread for your coin. Most people in the forum here will see this as an old thread and will pass it by.

Your coin appears to have the S mintmark which would make it a strike in silver for that year. While it is in nice condition, I think it is lacking some detail in the hair like the one in my reply to the other poster in this thread. Yours might get a 66 but I don't think the strike is sharp enough to grade higher than that. It would still not be anywhere near the cost of having it graded which would well exceed the value of the coin itself. I would keep it in whatever holder it is currently residing in.

 

[VKurtB]

On 11/11/2023 at 4:55 AM, Robertdpg said:

. The San Francisco coin, mint.  Minted about 7 million bicentennial quarters that were silver and placed into regular circulation.

 

On 1/11/2024 at 11:57 AM, Marcelo Watson said:

Hi.

I have the bicentennial coin and I would like to know if it is silver and if it is worth grading.

I acquired it at an auction in Brazil, which is where I live and there was no information about the metal of the coin.

It has been stored in a capsule ever since.

Attached are the images of my coin.

Thank you for any information and for your time.  

 

What you have here is a 40% silver uncirculated “regular” strike (not proof) 1976 dated quarter, which was only released by the Mint in three coin sets along with a half dollar and an Eisenhower dollar, in a cello pack, cardboard frame, and red envelope. They NEVER WERE ISSUED FOR CIRCULATION, contrary to what has been posted above. It is from a “taken apart” three coin set.