1880 Liberty Seated Quarter Coin Value: How Much Is It Worth?
The 1880 Liberty Seated Quarter is a late-date issue in a series that ended just eleven years later. Depending on whether your coin is a regular business strike or a proof, and what condition it survives in, USA Coin Book guide estimates place values from around $258.00 up to $1,072.00 at specific grades.
Mint, finish, and honest wear all determine where a particular coin falls within that spread.
Fast Way to Identify Your 1880 Liberty Seated Quarter
Want a quick read on what you have? Snap a clear photo of the front and back of your 1880 quarter and upload both images.
Our identifier can offer a preliminary identification of the version and general condition based on those photos alone. That is not a certification or exact appraisal, but it gives you a solid starting point before digging deeper.
1880 Liberty Seated Quarter Value
Upload both sides of your 1880 Liberty Seated Quarter.
Front Obverse
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Back Reverse
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Which 1880 Liberty Seated Quarter Versions Are Worth Money?
- 1880 business strike: USA Coin Book lists a guide estimate of $1,072.00 at MS63, making higher-grade survivors the ones to watch for.
- 1880 Proof: Guide estimate of $938.00 at PR63; proof finish with original surfaces is the key distinction from a regular strike.
- Check finish first — a shiny cleaned coin is not a proof, and damage or heavy wear will pull any version well below guide figures.
Step 1: Identify Your 1880 Liberty Seated Quarter Mint Mark and Version
All 1880 quarters were struck at the Philadelphia Mint, so there is no mintmark on a genuine example. If you see an O, S, or CC on the reverse beneath the eagle, you are looking at a different date or a problem coin.
The composition is 90% silver and 10% copper, with a standard weight of 6.25 grams. A kitchen scale can help flag obvious fakes that miss this weight target.
The obverse shows the Seated Liberty figure holding a shield, while the reverse displays an eagle with the motto "IN GOD WE TRUST" on a banner above. This motto has been on the series since 1866.
Two collectible versions exist for 1880: the regular business strike and the proof. Both lack a mintmark, so telling them apart requires examining the surface finish rather than hunting for a small letter.
Step 2: Check Your 1880 Liberty Seated Quarter Grade
Start with Liberty herself. On a well-worn coin, the head, breast, knee, and the horizontal lines on the shield will be the first details to soften or vanish.
Flip it over and check the eagle's breast feathers and upper wing tips for matching wear.
A coin grading around Good-4 will show a clear outline of Liberty but most interior detail is gone. By Mint State 60, all design elements are present, though the surfaces may carry contact marks or light scuffs from bag handling.
Don't confuse a weak strike with wear. Some 1880 quarters left the dies without full central detail even when brand new.
If the high points still show luster in the surrounding fields, the coin may grade higher than the detail suggests.
Cleaning is the silent value killer. A harshly cleaned coin can look bright and shiny yet be worth substantially less than one with original, slightly toned surfaces.
Use the comparison image to match your coin's wear pattern against known grade benchmarks for this exact type.
Step 3: Check 1880 Liberty Seated Quarter Value by Mint and Version
1880 Liberty Seated Quarter
The 1880 business-strike quarter was produced at Philadelphia with no mintmark. It is struck in 90% silver and 10% copper at the standard 6.25-gram weight.
USA Coin Book guide estimates place a well-worn Good-4 example at about $258.00, jumping to $834.00 at MS60 and $1,072.00 at MS63. That steep climb from circulated to uncirculated tells you original surfaces and minimal contact marks matter enormously.
Before comparing your coin against these figures, confirm it has not been cleaned or damaged. A coin with whizzing marks or a bright, unnaturally uniform sheen will grade as "details" rather than a straight numeric grade, and the guide estimates above assume problem-free surfaces.
Coin Value Lookup is a good place to start when you want to look up guide values for other dates or denominations in the Liberty Seated series.
Range Grade
Price Auction Records Appraisal PO PO 1
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G 6
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Coin Identifier VG VG 8
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VG 10
Coin Identifier F F 12
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F 15
Coin Identifier VF VF 20
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VF 25
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VF 30
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VF 35
Coin Identifier XF XF 40
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XF 45
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Coin Identifier AU AU 50
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AU 53
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AU 55
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AU 58
Coin Identifier MS MS 60
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MS 61
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MS 62
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MS 63
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MS 64
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MS 65
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MS 66
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MS 67
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MS 68
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MS 69
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MS 70
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1880 Liberty Seated Quarter — PR
The 1880 Proof quarter was also struck at Philadelphia with no mintmark. What separates it from the business strike is how it was made: proof coins were struck on specially prepared planelets with polished dies, producing mirror-like fields and sharply defined devices.
At PR63, the USA Coin Book guide estimate is $938.00. Hairlines — fine scratches from improper handling or wiping over the decades — are the most common issue that keeps proof quarters from higher grades.
Surface haze from old holders or environmental exposure also affects value.
Do not assume a shiny coin is a proof. Business strikes can look reflective when freshly minted or after cleaning, but genuine proofs show a distinctive depth to the mirrored fields that cleaning cannot replicate.
If you are unsure, a third-party grading service can confirm whether the coin received proof manufacture.
Range Grade
Price Auction Records Appraisal PR PR 1
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PR 2
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PR 3
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PR 4
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PR 6
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PR 8
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PR 10
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PR 12
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PR 15
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PR 20
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PR 25
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PR 30
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PR 35
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PR 40
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PR 45
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PR 50
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PR 53
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PR 55
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PR 58
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PR 60
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PR 61
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PR 62
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PR 63
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PR 64
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PR 65
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PR 66
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PR 67
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PR 68
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PR 69
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PR 70
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