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PHILADELPHIA – If you have the right quarter in your pocket, it might be worth $10,000.
Coins with minting errors can be worth more than their face value to collectors and dealers -- sometimes a lot more.
That is the case with some 1999 U.S. quarters honoring the state of Georgia.
The U.S. mint launched its program honoring the 50 states in 1999. Five new state coins were added each year in the order the states ratified the Constitution or were admitted to the Union.
That first year the quarters for Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania were introduced. All bear the P mintmark from Philadelphia.
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The head side of the coin bears George Washington’s portrait. The back side has a design related to that state.
The Georgia quarter features an outline of the state with a peach in the middle. The words “Wisdom, Justice and Moderation” appear at the top of the image.
Some of those quarters were struck on planchets composed of an experimental alloy that gave them a gold tint that later was used for the $1 Sacagawea coins that came out in 2000.
The mint decided not to use them for quarters, but the struck coins were released into circulation. All of them are estimated to be worth $3,000 or more on the trading market, according to Heritage Auctions, the world’s largest coin auctioneer.
One of those Georgia quarters sold for $10,000, U.S. Coins Guide noted. A Pennsylvania quarter brought nearly that much, selling for $9,775, Numismatic News reported.
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Look for these characteristics to help determine if you have one of the valuable Georgia quarters, according to U.S. Coins Guide.
- The coin weighs between 5.9 and 6.3 grams — which is more than the 5.67 grams for a typical copper-nickel clad quarter.
- It appears thicker than normal.
- It is a golden or greenish color.
- It lacks the copper stripe on the edge of the coin.
- It lacks some or all of the vertical grooves and ridges on its edge.
- It has a thicker rim than normal.
U.S. Coins Guide suggests showing it to a reputable coin dealer or grading company to determine its worth.
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