1990 Washington Quarter Value Guide

What Is the 1990 Washington Quarter Made Of?

The 1990 Washington quarter was made of 91.67% Copper and 8.33% Nickel. It was struck by the Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Denver Mint. It has the following specifications:

• Value of 0.25 USD
• Mass of 5.67 grams
• Thickness of 1.75 mm
• Diameter of 24.26 mm
• Edge with 119 reeds

In the past, particularly from 1932 to 1964, the Washington quarter was made with 90% silver and 10% copper. The Washington quarter was first minted in 1796.

photo source: PCGS

The obverse side of the Washington coin was designed by John Flanagan, an American sculptor.

The obverse features the left-facing image of George Washington. Above his head arched the word, LIBERTY. Just under his chin are the words, “IN GOD WE TRUST.”

Next to his pigtail is the mint mark, if present. The mint mark indicates where the coin was struck. The mint mark D, S, P or absent. Finally, the year 1987 is found underneath Washington.

The reverse features an eagle with its wings spread out. The eagle represents the power and resilience of the United States. The eagle is carrying a bundle of arrows, which signifies the readiness of the US to defend itself.

The US motto can also be seen on top of the head of the eagle. It says, “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” which is Latin for “Out of many, one.” This motto has been the battle cry of the United States since the Civil War.

On top of the US Motto, you’ll read, “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.” Under the bundle of arrows are branches of olive, which symbolizes peace. Under the olive branches are the words, “QUARTER DOLLAR.”

As mentioned above, the Washington quarter was made of silver when it first came out in 1932. However, in 1964, it was turned into base metal. Because people are not spending the silver quarter and just collecting them, the US Mint decided to make the change.

1990 Washington Quarter Varieties

There are different varieties of the 1990 Washington Quarter. Most of them differ based on their mint mark. Some are also different from others because of the errors they incurred.

Here are some of the most well-known varieties of the 1990 Washington quarter:

1990 D Washington Quarter

photo source: USA Coin Book

The 1987 D Washington quarter was struck in the Denver Mint. With more than 900 million coins, the D quarter is the most abundantly produced variety of the 1987 quarter coin series.

You can sell this coin for $25 to $10.00 or more. However, the open market offers a higher price for pristine and rare 1990 quarter coins.

1990 S Washington Quarter Proof

photo source: USA Coin Book

The S variety is considered to be the most attractive variety among others. The reason is that the San Francisco Mint is specialized in producing proof coins that look more beautiful, detailed, and shinier. That’s the reason that only over three million 1990 S Washington quarter coins were made. Moreover, proof coins are made especially for collectors.

You can sell a 1990 S Washington Quarter for $0.25 to $4.52. You can sell it for more provided that your coin is still in good condition with no to little scratches or hairline.

1990 P Washington Quarter

photo source: USA Coin Book

The usual selling price of the 1990 P Washington quarter is between $0.25 to $11.00. This coin was struck in the Philadelphia Mint and there are about 613 million of 1990 P Washington quarter coins produced.

List of 1990 Washington Quarter Errors

With millions of 1990 Washington quarters made, it is not surprising to find some coins to have errors. The errors can happen due to a number of reasons.

One example would be the double-struck error. The die moves rapidly to the point that a coin was struck twice.

Aside from that, most 1990 quarter errors happened because of a problem related to the die. That’s why you will find die-related mint errors that include die breaks, clashed dies, misaligned dies, and rotated dies.

How Much Is the 1990 Washington Quarter Worth Today?

The 1990 Washington quarter has a face value of 25 cents. Its melt value is $0.0497. Circulated and standard struck coins can be sold for about $0.25 to $0.85.

While it may sound that the 1990 quarter isn’t that valuable, don’t lose hope. There are still 1990 quarters that are worth a few hundred dollars if they are in good condition. You can even sell them at a higher price in the open market.

To give you an idea of how much your 1990 Washington quarter is worth, here’s comparison table for you to use:

How Does The Grading System Work?

The Sheldon Scale is used by numismatists to provide a numerical value to coins. The Sheldon Scale goes from poor (P-1) to perfect mint state (P-1) (MS-70). Coins were originally evaluated using words to reflect their condition (Good, Fair, Excellent, Etc.). Unfortunately, coin collectors and dealers had different ideas about what each of these terms represent.

Professional numismatists joined together in the 1970s and established CoinGrading standards. These numismatists now assign grades at key places on the seventy-point scale, using the most regularly utilized numeric points in conjunction with the original adjective grade. The following are the most common coin grades:

1. 1. • (P-1) Poor – Indistinguishable and probably damaged; if used, must have a date and mintmark; otherwise, rather battered.
      • (FR-2) Fair – Nearly smooth, but without the damage that a coin graded Poor often possesses. The coin must have enough detail to be identified.
      • (G-4) Fair – Inscriptions have merged into the rims in some areas, and important elements have been mostly erased.
      • (VG-8) Very Good- A little weathered, but all of the primary design elements are visible, albeit faintly. There is little if any, central detail left.
      • (F-12) Good – The item is very worn, yet the wear is even, and the overall design details stand out clearly. Rims are almost completely isolated from the field.
      • (VF-20) Very Fine – Moderately weathered, with some finer features still visible. The motto or all letters of LIBERTY are readable. Both sides of the coin have entire rims that are separated from the field.
      • (EF-40) Extremely Fine – Gently used; all gadgets are visible, and the most important ones are bold. The finer details are bold and clear, however, light wear may be seen.
      • (AU-50) Uncirculated – Slight evidence of wear on the coin’s design’s high points; may have contact marks; eye appeal should be adequate.
      • (AU-58) Uncirculated Choice – Slight traces of wear, no severe contact marks, almost full mint shine, and great eye appeal.
      • (MS-60) Mint State Basal – Strictly uncirculated; no indication of wear on the coin’s highest points, but an unsightly coin with reduced luster, visible contact marks, hairlines, and other flaws.
      • (MS-63) Mint State Acceptable – Uncirculated, but with contact scratches and nicks, little reduced shine, but otherwise appealing appearance. The strike is weak to average.
      • (MS-65) Mint State Choice – Uncirculated with great mint shine, very little contact blemishes, and exceptional eye appeal. The strike is unusually severe.
      • (MS-68) Mint State Premium Quality – Uncirculated with superb luster, no obvious contact marks to the naked eye, and exceptional eye appeal. The strike is quick and appealing.
      • (MS-69) Almost Perfect Mint State – Uncirculated with perfect brilliance, a sharp and appealing strike, and extremely good eye appeal. A near-perfect coin with minor imperfections in the planchet, strike, and contact markings (seen only under 8x magnification).
      • (MS-70) Mint State Perfect – Under 8x magnification, there are no tiny imperfections discernible; the strike is crisp, and the coin is perfectly centered on a beautiful planchet. Rarely seen on a coin, this coin is bright and whole, with original luster and exceptional eye appeal.

Where to Buy or Sell 1990 Washington Quarter?

Whether you are buying or selling 1990 Washington quarter, the best place to start your search would be online. All you have to do is search for the 1990 Washington quarter and you’ll get hundreds of results.

By searching, you will find websites that specialized in selling and buying 1990 Washington quarters. Aside from that, you can also immediately visit online marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, and Etsy. These platforms help you to both buy and sell coins.

When doing a transaction on the Internet, be sure to only work with reputable and trusted companies. As you can imagine, there are scammers out there who prey on innocent people.

Aside from the Internet, you can visit coin shops, antique shops, and even coin collectors. You can join auctions as well. Sometimes, they include rare coins.

Try to find local clubs and groups of coin collectors. When you get to know people who have the same interests as you, you’ll discover more places where you can buy and sell 1990 quarter coins.

FAQs

How many quarters were made in 1990?

There are a total of 1,544,729,740 quarter coins made in 1990. To break it down, 927,638,181 coins from Denver Mint, 613,792,000 coins from Philadelphia Mint, and 3,299,559 coins from the San Francisco Mint.

How many 1990 quarters had error?

The exact number of 1990 quarters with error isn’t exactly known. Since there are billions of quarters made in 1990, the coins with errors might have reached to the hundreds. However, rare coins might be just less than a hundred.