1917-S Standing Liberty Quarter, Type 2
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 5,552,000 made
- Mintage
- 5,552,000
- Metal
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 6.25 g
- Diameter
- 24.3 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1917-S Standing Liberty Quarter, Type 2 worth?
In worn condition it trades for about its silver content, 0.1808 troy ounces. Uncirculated coins with full luster or attractive toning sell for more.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A full head on Liberty (FH)
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1917-S Standing Liberty Quarter, Type 2 rare?
- No. 5.6 million were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Is the 1917-S Standing Liberty Quarter, Type 2 silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.1808 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1917 Standing Liberty Quarter?
- On the obverse, to the left of the date, beside Liberty's foot. Philadelphia quarters have no mint mark. On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.
- Which San Francisco dates near 1917 are scarcer?
- The 1919-S at 1,836,000, the 1917-S, Type 1 at 1,952,000. So the 1917-S is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1917-S Standing Liberty Quarter, Type 2 coins were made?
- 5,552,000.
What to check on your 1917-S
- Make sure the mint mark really is an S. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1917-D (1.5 million made).
- Dates on early Standing Liberty quarters were raised and wore off easily. A clear, full date adds a great deal to a coin from these years.
- Don't clean it. Cleaning leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
- Judge the grade under good light. Liberty's head is rarely fully struck; "Full Head" (FH) coins command big premiums. The date must be readable for a coin to be worth much.
Circulated examples are usually traded for their silver content. Pick out the best ones: original luster and attractive toning lift a coin above melt, while cleaned coins lose most of their collector value.
The story of the 1917-S
Output at San Francisco climbed to 5,552,000 in 1917, from 2 million the year before. The next year it made 11 million (1918-S).
1917-D came to 1.5 million and 1917-S came to 2 million and 1917-D came to 6.2 million and 1917 came to 8.7 million and 1917 came to 14 million, so neither mint's 1917 coin is much scarcer than the other.
San Francisco struck the Standing Liberty Quarter in 12 issues between 1917 and 1930. By mintage this one lands in the more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1927-S (396,000). Within the 1910s it's 6th smallest of 13, between the 1917-S, Type 1 (2 million) and the 1917-D, Type 2 (6.2 million).
The bare-breasted Type 1 and the 1917 change (1916 to 1917)
Hermon A. MacNeil's Standing Liberty quarter was struck late in 1916 in a run of only 52,000 pieces and released in January 1917. Liberty steps through a gateway holding a shield and an olive branch with her right breast exposed. The eagle on the reverse flies with no stars beneath it. The 1916 is the key of the series and a frequent target of altered dates.
Type 1 quarters continued into 1917 at all three mints, with more than 8.7 million at Philadelphia. Partway through 1917 the design changed to Type 2: Liberty's chest is covered by chain mail and the reverse eagle is raised, with three stars added below it. Both types of 1917 coins have the mint mark on the obverse, to the left of the date. The raised date was a high point of the design, so many 1917 coins now show a partial date.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1917
The Standing Liberty quarter was redesigned to cover Liberty with chain mail. The mint mark on the Walking Liberty half dollar moved from the obverse to the reverse.
How to recognize it
Liberty strides through a gateway with a shield raised in one hand and an olive branch in the other. The first coins of 1916 and 1917 show her bare-breasted; later coins cover her in chain mail. The reverse shows an eagle in flight. The date was raised on the step and wore away quickly until it was recessed in 1925. Collectors prize coins with a "full head" of fine detail.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Standing Liberty Quarter (1916–1930) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 5,552,000 |
| Face value | 25¢ |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 6.25 grams |
| Diameter | 24.3 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.1808 troy oz (5.625 g) |
| Designer | Hermon A. MacNeil |
Other 1917 Standing Liberty Quarter issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1917 Standing Liberty Quarter, Type 1 | 8,740,000 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
| 1917 Standing Liberty Quarter, Type 2 | 13,880,000 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
| 1917-D Standing Liberty Quarter, Type 1 | 1,509,200 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
| 1917-D Standing Liberty Quarter, Type 2 | 6,224,400 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
| 1917-S Standing Liberty Quarter, Type 1 | 1,952,000 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
| 1917-S Standing Liberty Quarter, Type 2 | 5,552,000 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
Mintage: United States quarter mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.