You probably have a jar of change sitting on your dresser. Most people do. It’s full of those 50 State Quarters that launched back in 1999, which everyone thought would make them rich someday. Well, most of them won’t. But a few? Those are the ones you need to look for. Honestly, the state quarter errors list isn't just about finding weird-looking coins; it's about spotting the specific manufacturing screw-ups that the U.S. Mint tried to catch but didn't.
Most of these quarters are worth exactly twenty-five cents. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but unless it's a specific error, you’re just looking at pocket change. However, when the Mint ramped up production to strike billions of coins, things got messy. Dies broke. Planchets (the metal blanks) got stuck. Grease filled the letters. These mistakes created a secondary market where a single quarter can pay your rent for a month—or even buy you a used car if you hit the jackpot.
The Wisconsin Extra Leaf: The Holy Grail of the 2000s
If you’ve spent any time in the coin world, you’ve heard about the 2004-D Wisconsin quarter. It’s legendary. Basically, there’s an extra "leaf" on the cornstalk on the back of the coin. It isn't supposed to be there. Collectors call them the "High Leaf" and "Low Leaf" varieties.
Some people think these were created intentionally by a disgruntled Mint employee, though that’s never been officially proven. What we do know is that thousands of these made it into circulation in the Tucson, Arizona area before the Mint noticed. If you find a High Leaf in mint condition, you're looking at potentially $1,000 or more. Even a circulated one can net you a couple hundred bucks. It’s the kind of error that changed how people looked at the state quarter program because it proved that massive, visible mistakes were still possible in the modern era.
Why the Delaware Spitting Horse is Kind of Gross (and Valuable)
The 1999 Delaware quarter was the first one released. Naturally, because it was the "guinea pig" for the series, errors happened. The most famous one is the "Spitting Horse" error. It sounds weird, but it’s actually just a die crack.
Imagine the heavy metal stamp (the die) hitting a coin blank over and over again. Eventually, that steel die starts to crack. On the Delaware quarter, a crack developed right at the mouth of the horse Caesar Rodney is riding. It looks like a line of spit coming out of the horse's mouth. It’s a classic example of how a simple mechanical failure creates value. You can usually find these on eBay for $20 to $50, which isn't a fortune, but it’s a lot better than a quarter.
Minnesota’s Many Trees: A Die-Hard Collector’s Nightmare
The 2005 Minnesota quarter is a mess. Seriously. There are dozens of "Extra Tree" versions. Because of how the die was doubled during the manufacturing process, some quarters look like they have a ghost tree floating next to the main ones.
Ken Potter, a well-known numismatic expert, has documented over 60 different versions of this error. Some are tiny—you’d need a jeweler’s loupe to see them. Others are glaringly obvious. The most prominent ones can sell for $100, but most of the minor ones are only worth a few bucks to a very specific type of collector. It’s a rabbit hole. You could spend your whole life trying to find every single variation on the state quarter errors list for Minnesota alone.
✨ Don't miss: The Long Haired Russian Cat Explained: Why the Siberian is Basically a Living Legend
Understanding the "In God We Rust" Mistake
The 2005 Kansas quarter is famous for a mistake that feels like a prank. It’s supposed to say "In God We Trust," but on some coins, the "T" is completely missing. It says "In God We Rust."
This wasn't a broken die or a secret message. It was grease.
When the machines are running, grease and debris can build up in the crevices of the die. If enough grease fills the letter "T," it prevents the metal of the coin from flowing into that space. The result is a smooth surface where a letter should be. These are incredibly popular because they’re funny. People love a coin that sounds like a heavy metal album title. You can usually grab one for about $10 to $20, though pristine ones go for more.
Striking Through the Mess
Grease strikes aren't limited to Kansas. You’ll find them on almost every state. Sometimes the grease covers the date, or the word "Liberty," or even the state name itself. These are called "Struck Through Grease" errors.
The general rule: the more of the design that is missing, the more it’s worth. If you find a 2000 South Carolina quarter where the bird is missing its head because of grease, you’ve got something special. But if it’s just a slightly faint letter, most collectors won't care. It’s a game of degrees.
The Arizona Extra Cactus and the "Pooping Horse"
Arizona joined the party in 2008. The error here is similar to the Delaware horse, but in a different spot. On the reverse side, next to the Saguaro cactus, die cracks often formed. This created what collectors call the "Extra Cactus" error.
But the one people really search for is the Wyoming "Pooping Horse." I’m not making this up. Much like the Delaware Spitting Horse, a die crack formed on the 2007 Wyoming quarter, specifically under the horse's tail. It’s juvenile, sure. But in the world of coin collecting, "funny" often equals "money." These usually sell for $5 to $25 depending on how prominent the "evidence" is.
🔗 Read more: Why Every Mom and Daughter Photo You Take Actually Matters
The Real Money: Planchet and Off-Center Errors
While die cracks and grease strikes are cool, the real heavy hitters on any state quarter errors list are the major structural failures. These are the ones that look like the machine exploded.
- Off-Center Strikes: This happens when the coin blank isn't centered when the die hits it. You’ll see a quarter that is only half-stamped, with a big crescent of blank metal. A 50% off-center state quarter can easily fetch $500 or more.
- Wrong Planchet: Occasionally, a state quarter design gets stamped onto a blank intended for a different coin, like a nickel or a Susan B. Anthony dollar. If you find a state quarter that is the wrong color or size, don't throw it away. It could be worth thousands.
- Die Caps: This is a nightmare for the Mint but a dream for you. If a coin gets stuck to the die and keeps hitting other coins, it becomes "cupped" like a bottle cap. These are rare and extremely valuable.
How to Spot a Fake Error
You have to be careful. People are crafty.
Sometimes, people take a normal quarter and hit it with a hammer or a chemical to make it look like an error. This is called Post-Mint Damage (PMD). If the "error" looks smashed, scratched, or melted, it’s probably just a damaged coin. Real errors usually have "lustre"—the way light dances off the metal—even in the area where the mistake is. If the metal looks dull or weirdly textured in the "error" spot, be suspicious.
Also, watch out for "plated" coins. Some companies took state quarters and plated them in gold or platinum to sell them as "limited editions" on TV. These are not Mint errors. In fact, they’re usually worth less than a normal quarter to a serious collector because the plating is considered "altering" the coin.
The 1999 Connecticut Broadstrike
Broadstriking happens when the "collar"—the ring that holds the coin in place and creates the ridged edge—fails. The coin spreads out like a pancake because there’s nothing to hold the metal in.
The 1999 Connecticut quarter is known for some spectacular broadstrikes. The coin will be slightly larger in diameter than a normal quarter and will lack the "reeding" (the bumps) on the edge. It feels weird in your hand—smoother and flatter. These are solid middle-ground errors, usually bringing in $40 to $80.
What to Do if You Find One
First, stop touching it. The oils on your skin can ruin the finish of a high-value coin. Put it in a soft plastic flip or even a clean sandwich bag until you can get a real coin holder.
💡 You might also like: Sport watch water resist explained: why 50 meters doesn't mean you can dive
Second, don't clean it. I cannot stress this enough. If you take a scrub brush or even a soft cloth to a rare coin, you just wiped away half its value. Collectors want original surfaces, even if they’re a little dirty.
Third, get a second opinion. Go to a local coin shop, but don't sell it immediately. Ask them what they see. If they get really excited, you might want to consider sending it to a grading service like PCGS or NGC. These companies will authenticate the error and "slab" it in a hard plastic case with a grade. A certified error is much easier to sell for top dollar than a raw coin.
The Actionable Strategy for Hunters
Searching for errors is a volume game. You aren't going to find a Wisconsin High Leaf by looking at the three quarters in your pocket right now. You need to go to the bank and buy rolls.
Ask for "customer-wrapped" rolls if they have them. These are rolls people brought in from their houses. "Machine-wrapped" rolls from the Fed are okay, but they’ve often been screened or are all the same year.
Here is your checklist for your next hunt:
- Check the 2004-D Wisconsin for that extra leaf below the left-side leaf of the corn.
- Look at the 1999 Delaware horse's mouth for "spit."
- Inspect the 2005 Kansas "In God We Rust" for the missing T.
- Search 2005 Minnesota quarters for extra trees (specifically near the lake).
- Scan the edges of all 1999 quarters to see if any are missing the ridges (broadstrikes).
The market for these coins fluctuates. What was worth $500 five years ago might be $300 today, or it might be $1,000. It depends on how many new ones are discovered. But the thrill of the hunt is half the fun anyway. You’re essentially looking for a golden ticket hidden in a mountain of boring metal.
Keep a magnifying glass (at least 10x power) near your change jar. Most of these errors are subtle until you know what you’re looking for. Once you see your first "Extra Tree" or "Spitting Horse," you’ll never look at a quarter the same way again.
Next Steps for the Aspiring Collector:
- Buy a "Red Book" (A Guide Book of United States Coins) to see the current estimated values and mintage numbers.
- Join an online forum like CoinCommunity or TreasureNet to post photos of your finds; the experts there love identifying errors for free.
- Invest in a 10x-20x jeweler's loupe because your naked eye will miss 90% of the minor die cracks that indicate a valuable die state.