1927-S Standing Liberty Quarter
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 396,000 made
- Mintage
- 396,000
- 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 1927-S Standing Liberty Quarter worth?
It's scarcer than a typical date, so even circulated examples sell above face and above their metal value. The best uncirculated coins are where the money is.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A full head on Liberty (FH)
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1927-S Standing Liberty Quarter rare?
- Yes. Only 396,000 were made, 2nd lowest of the 37 regular issues in the series.
- Is the 1927-S Standing Liberty Quarter silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.1808 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1927 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 1927 are scarcer?
- None. Within five years either side, no San Francisco issue had a smaller mintage than the 1927-S.
- How many 1927-S Standing Liberty Quarter coins were made?
- 396,000.
What to check on your 1927-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 1927-D (976,000 made).
- Check the date and mint mark under magnification for tooling or added letters. Scarce dates are the ones forgers alter.
- 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.
Never clean it. Collectors pay strong premiums for original surfaces and natural toning on a date like this. A cleaned coin can lose half its value or more. Low-mintage dates attract altered and counterfeit coins. Check that the mint mark and date have not been tooled or added, or buy one already certified by PCGS or NGC.
The story of the 1927-S
Production at San Francisco fell off a cliff in 1927. Only 396,000 were made, against 2.7 million the year before. That drop is why the 1927-S is the one people look for. In 1928 the figure was 2.6 million.
The other mints made far more that year: 1927 alone came to 12 million, roughly 30 for every 1927-S. If you're checking a pile of 1927 coins, the S is the one to look for. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1929-D (1,358,000) and the 1923-S (1,360,000).
Of the 12 Standing Liberty Quarters San Francisco struck between 1917 and 1930, this is the scarcest. No Standing Liberty Quarter of the 1920s had a smaller run.
Recessed dates protect the year (1925 to 1930)
In 1925 the Mint cut the date into a recessed area of the step, so it no longer stood above the surface and survived heavy wear. Quarters of 1925 to 1930 therefore usually show full dates even in the lowest grades, which makes them much easier to identify than earlier coins.
The 1927-S, with 396,000 struck, is the key of the recessed date years and is very rare with a full head. The 1926-D and 1926-S are also tough with full heads because of poor striking. The 1929-D, 1929-S and 1930-S are more common and make good choices for a type set. Production ended in 1930 at Philadelphia and San Francisco. No quarters were struck in 1931 before the Washington quarter took over in 1932.
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 | 1927 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 396,000 |
| 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 1927 Standing Liberty Quarter issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 Standing Liberty Quarter | 11,912,000 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
| 1927-D Standing Liberty Quarter | 976,000 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
| 1927-S Standing Liberty Quarter | 396,000 | 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.