The quarter was first minted in 1796, making it one of the oldest U.S. coin denominations still in use.

Early quarters had no denomination printed. People simply recognized the coin by its size and silver content.

No quarters were minted again until 1804, making early examples extremely rare.

The quarter became common only after 1831, when the U.S. Mint significantly increased production.

The U.S. did not include “In God We Trust” on quarters until 1866.

The original obverse design featured Lady Liberty rather than President George Washington.

George Washington first appeared on the quarter in 1932 to commemorate the bicentennial of his birth.

The Washington portrait was intended to be a one-year design but was kept permanently due to its popularity.

Washington’s image is based on a bust by Jean-Antoine Houdon, sculpted in 1785.

The modern quarter’s eagle reverse, used from 1932 to 1998, was designed by John Flanagan.

Quarters were made of 90 percent silver until 1964.

Beginning in 1965, the quarter switched to a copper-nickel clad composition.

Silver quarters still occasionally appear in circulation and are often identified by their bright edge.

Any silver quarter minted before 1965 is worth far more than 25 cents based on metal value alone.

The U.S. Mint briefly used 40 percent silver for special Bicentennial quarters sold in collector sets.

The 50 State Quarters Program ran from 1999 to 2008 and became the most popular coin program in U.S. history. It increased coin collecting participation by millions and generated more than 6 billion dollars in profit for the U.S. Mint. Each state quarter design required approval from that state’s governor.

The District of Columbia and U.S. Territories quarters followed in 2009.

The America the Beautiful Parks quarters, issued from 2010 to 2021, showcased 56 national parks and landmarks.

Some park quarters had extremely low mintages, making them especially desirable to collectors.

The Tuskegee Airmen quarter, released in 2021, was the final design in the America the Beautiful series.

The U.S. Mint introduced the American Women Quarters program in 2022.

Each year of the program features new designs honoring notable American women from various fields.

The 2022 Maya Angelou quarter was the first American coin to feature a Black woman.

Modern quarters can feature up to five new reverse designs each year.

The Washington portrait was redesigned in 2022, returning to the original Houdon-inspired profile.

The 1932 D and 1932 S quarters are key dates and are highly collectible.

The 1976 Bicentennial quarter is common, but silver versions found in mint sets carry added value.

A rare 2004 Wisconsin quarter with an extra leaf on the corn design can sell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

The 1999 Delaware state quarter is known for the “Spitting Horse” die error.

The rarest circulation strike quarter from the America the Beautiful series is the 2019 San Antonio Missions issue with a W mintmark.

A quarter has exactly 119 reeds along its edge.

In its modern clad form, it weighs 5.67 grams.

The quarter is the most commonly used U.S. coin in vending machines and arcades.

It is also the most widely used coin in U.S. laundry machines.

The W mintmark, used on certain 2019 and 2020 quarters, was intended to encourage public interest in coin collecting.

Quarters are often called “two bits,” a term left over from Spanish colonial currency traditions.