(NewsHill.org)- Coin collectors are placing a higher value on Wisconsin state quarters from the 50 State Quarters Program if there is a detail in the design of the coins different from the norm.
A variant in a 2004 quarter has caused its estimated value to be worth up to $2,000.
Wisconsin’s motto, “Forward,” is on the coin, with the state’s name, the year of admission (1848), and an image of a cow, a peeled husk of corn, and a sliced wheel of cheese.
One minor design variation on the Wisconsin 2004 quarter is an additional leaf on the pictured corn husk.
It is up for debate whether this was done on purpose.
The Littleton Coin Company said in its description of Statehood Quarter Error Coins that certain Wisconsin quarters were discovered to have a cornstalk with an extra leaf, either pointing up or down.
The usual reason, according to the article, is metal shavings being mistakenly stuck in the die, causing a gouge from the coin striking movement.
Due to the very low probability of such a coincidence occuring on the same area on two distinct dies, “some experts suspect that the additional leaves were purposefully manufactured by someone at the Denver Mint.”
Many individuals have a passion for coin collecting, and they are prepared to spend a lot of money on rare and unusual coins.
According to papers supplied by Professional Coin Grading Services (PCGS), a California coin-grading organization, at least two 2004 Wisconsin quarters with additional corn husk leaves have been sold at auction by Heritage Auctions for thousands of dollars.
The record price for a 2004 Wisconsin quarter with an additional “low leaf” was set at auction in January 2020 at $6,000. In July 2006, a 2004 Wisconsin quarter with an extra “high leaf” set a new record price for a “high leaf” variant at $2,530.
Wisconsin quarters from 2004 are available on several online auction sites for coin collectors. Sellers have put prices on their wares that are in the hundreds or even thousands.
Between 1999 and 2008, the 50 State Quarters Program was in effect. Throughout its 10-year run, the program recognized and celebrated every state in the union.
Annual releases of five different state quarter designs followed the sequence in which states adopted their constitutions or were admitted to the Union.
