An overview on the flawed Wisconsin state quarter and why this makes it valuable to collectors.
After the release of the Wisconsin State Quarter, in the fall of 2004, it was discovered in Tucson that a few of these quarters had a flaw. To the serious collector, any coin with a mint error is valuable, but due to the limited number of the flawed Wisconsin quarter this particular coin alone is worth $500.00 or more.
The flaw in the Wisconsin quarter is easy to see. Flip the quarter over to its tail side and look at the cornstalk on the right. Look closely at the leaves on the left side of the corn. There should be only one curled leaf. If there is a second leaf below the curled one, pointing either up or down, then you have discovered one of the flawed coins.
This flaw appears on coins from the Denver mint only, and to date have only been found in Tucson, Arizona and San Antonio, Texas. Currently they are the only state quarter with this type of minting flaw, although some state quarters, and many other U. S. coins, do have issues with rotated die errors. Like the Wisconsin quarter, rotated die errors are extremely rare also. They generally have the image on the tail side of the coin anywhere from 5 degrees off center to as much as 180. The more off center, the more the coin is worth.
The question remains open if the extra marking on the Wisconsin quarter are by accident or intentional. Speculation has ranged from a foreign object falling into the die to an employee of the mint purposely putting a gouge into the die mold.
The U. S. Mint is investigating the matter and believes it was caused by an error in the die. The U. S. Mint created 453 million coins in the Wisconsin quarter run.
Most coin dealers, on the other hand, say that this type of error could not be an accident. The dealers believe that the flaw is too well defined to have not been put there on purpose.
While the general public may never know the truth of how the flaw came to be, the fact remains that this coin is very desirable by collectors. Since the number of flawed coins appears to be very limited, it can only mean that as time goes by, the price for these quarters will only continue to rise.
Should you find one in your pocket, you will need to have it authenticated by a reputable coin dealer. Next, you will have to make the decision to sell it now or hold on to it for the future. If you choose to sell the coin now, you have several options. You could sell privately to a coin dealer or collector or through a highly regarded auction house. Your other option would be to sell online. Several Wisconsin quarters have been sold on eBay and other online venues.
If you decide to keep your quarter, make sure to ask the coin dealer the best way to store the coin in order to retain and appreciate its value in the future.
