1968 Quarter Error List with Pictures

The edge told an important part of this quarter’s story: it lacked the usual copper-colored center. The 1968-S Proof, struck on a silver blank, sold for $11,700 in May 2022.

This 1968 quarter error list ranges from extra mintmark curves to coins made on the wrong metal. Estimated values span $5–$20,000, with each type needing its own physical checks.

Proof coins were specially made for collectors. Read on to compare their errors with ordinary quarters and see which details matter.

1. 1968 Washington Quarter Repunched Mintmarks

A small extra curve beside the mint letter can come from a second punch into the stamping tool. The coin copies the earlier and later letter positions together.

Denver’s WRPM-001 shows an earlier D toward the left. San Francisco Proof reports include earlier S outlines toward the left, above, or below the main letter.

The catalog systems do not agree on every matching number for the Proofs. A shared number or direction therefore cannot replace comparing their actual photographs.

All these examples concern a repeated mint letter. They do not mean the entire quarter received a second strike.

Estimated Value

For an authenticated repunched mintmark, estimate $10–$500. Clear extra curves and well-preserved Proof surfaces can support more interest than faint remnants on a worn coin.

The extra outline should be recognizable as part of another D or S. A thick letter, filled center, or small flat shelf alone does not earn this premium.

Compare the same letter pattern when considering a price. Scratches and cloudy Proof surfaces can lower the value even when the extra letter remains clear.

How to Identify

Use a magnifier on the mint letter beside the lower-right part of Washington’s hair. Denver WRPM-001 has an earlier D toward the left.

Check its supporting vertical lines near the eyebrow, below the eagle’s left wing, and left of the beak.

For San Francisco Proofs, CONECA shows RPM-001 toward the left and RPM-002 below. Its RPM-003 and RPM-004 have earlier outlines above S.

Wexler’s WRPM-002 points left, while WRPM-003 points below. The catalogs disagree on which numbers match, so compare each named variety with its own photographs.

Tilt the coin to see the extra outline’s height and shape. A flat shelf beside S or D differs from the rounded edge of an earlier punched letter.

 

2. 1968 Washington Quarter Small Die Breaks and Retained Rim Breaks

A broken tool can leave extra metal on a quarter instead of a missing piece. Metal enters the new opening and rises above the intended surface.

The Denver reports include small breaks and retained rim breaks. In a retained break, a cracked piece of the tool remains in place and can still leave parts of its design.

A raised patch connected to the rim is often called a cud. The general report does not give a fixed location or catalog number for every example.

Later dents can push metal upward too, so the original rim and nearby design need inspection.

Estimated Value

Use $5–$600 as an estimated range for genuine small breaks and retained rim breaks on 1968-D quarters. Minor lumps generally attract less interest than a larger, clearly bounded feature.

A larger patch with surviving letters can show the broken tool’s shape clearly. That connection is more appealing than a tiny lump with an unclear cause.

A scratch with a raised lip, or metal pushed inward by a rim hit, does not deserve the same premium as an original striking feature.

How to Identify

A surviving letter inside a raised patch is worth examining closely. It can show that a broken piece of the stamping tool remained in place.

Use a magnifier to follow the patch’s boundary all the way around. A break touching the rim differs from a small chip entirely within the design.

Now look at the edge from the side under a lamp. A later impact can flatten the rim and push metal onto the face.

Check whether the nearby letters were crushed or dragged toward the lump.

An original raised break should fit the surrounding struck design, rather than sit beside an obvious impact scar. Keep both the raised boundary and the adjacent rim in view when making that comparison.

 

3. 1968 Washington Quarter Clipped Blanks, Including a Broadstruck Example

A missing section of metal may have been absent before the quarter was struck. Straight and curved gaps reflect different positions of the cutting punch on the metal strip.

A Denver straight-clip example is reported in NGC MS65 condition. General year lists also describe curved clips without a particular mint or percentage assigned.

A separate Philadelphia coin combines a fifteen-percent straight clip with a broadstrike. It was made on a Type 1 blank, meaning its edge had not received the normal raised rim before striking.

The combined coin graded PCGS MS65, meaning it has no circulation wear and few marks.

Estimated Value

Estimate $10–$1,000 for genuine 1968 clipped quarters, allowing more for dramatic, well-preserved examples and unusual combinations. Small gaps on worn coins belong in lower comparisons.

The Philadelphia coin combines missing metal with outward spreading during a broadstrike. Its features contribute to one overall price instead of two separate error amounts.

On a smaller clip, the smooth transition between the missing section and the struck surface matters more than appearance alone. Filing or cutting after striking removes the error premium.

How to Identify

The Philadelphia combination has a straight missing section and a spread-out design to compare together. Away from that gap, its broadstrike keeps the design despite the unusually wide border around the coin.

Use a magnifier to examine both ends of the missing section, where the struck design meets the gap. Fresh saw marks or parallel filing lines suggest someone removed metal from a finished quarter after striking.

Then inspect the rim directly opposite the gap for weakness, which can support a genuine clip but is not always obvious. Apply these edge checks to curved clips too, even though their outlines differ from the documented fifteen-percent Philadelphia straight clip.

 

4. 1968 Washington Quarter Missing Outer Layers and a Matching Detached Piece

A normal quarter has pale outer metal bonded to a copper center. If an outer layer separates, the exposed face can appear copper-colored and the coin becomes lighter.

A Philadelphia back-layer example graded NGC AU58 weighs 4.6 grams. A different Denver coin, graded NGC MS62, has front-layer loss and the same reported weight.

A third record describes a Denver quarter with partial back-layer loss alongside its matching detached piece. The pair was graded NGC XF45, indicating noticeable wear.

The two pieces in that pair are not two complete quarters. Together they preserve more evidence of the original separation.

Estimated Value

Estimated values span $50–$1,500 for authenticated layer-loss examples, including a properly matched coin-and-fragment pair. The size of the separation and preservation of the surfaces influence collector interest.

A complete missing layer presents differently from a small area of peeling. Compare the exposed area, remaining design, and wear when judging value.

An accompanying original fragment can make the event easier to understand. Price the complete pair as one related object, without treating its detached piece as another fully struck quarter.

How to Identify

If a detached piece survives, examine its outline beside the missing area without pressing it back. The edge shapes and remaining design should match.

Keep that fragment with the coin. Gluing or flattening it can damage the surfaces that show how they separated.

For a coin without its fragment, compare both faces in neutral light and inspect the edge. Look for exposed copper beside the remaining pale outer layer.

Weigh a loose coin on a digital scale against the normal 5.67 grams. The documented 4.6-gram readings are examples, not a requirement for every partial loss.

Check the exposed surface with a magnifier for grinding lines or chemical damage. A copper-colored face alone cannot show when or how its outer layer disappeared.

 

5. 1968 Washington Quarter Type E and Type F Proof Designs

The eagle’s lower-left wing can have two different outlines on 1968-S Proof quarters. These are design varieties called Type E and Type F.

On Type E, part of the wing’s lower boundary fades near the leg. On Type F, that boundary remains clearer all the way to the leg.

The Type F design also has inherited repeated detail at Q in QUARTER. It comes from the underlying design tool and is not automatically a separate rare doubled die.

These comparisons help identify the coin being examined. The use of either design does not by itself establish a manufacturing mistake.

Estimated Value

For these identified Proof design varieties, use an estimated whole-coin range of $5–$1,500. Ordinary examples sit far below the exceptional end, which requires outstanding preservation and the appropriate variety.

A published PCGS record lists a Type F PR68 example at $1,200 in February 2021. That is a design-variety comparison, not evidence that every clear wing outline is a valuable Mint error.

Cloudiness, scratches, and wear can reduce the appeal of either design substantially.

How to Identify

Place the eagle upright beneath a magnifier and follow the lower boundary of its left wing toward the leg. This small area provides a clearer comparison than the wing’s overall sharpness.

On Type E, the boundary fades near roughly four feathers approaching the leg. Type F keeps a clearer line into that area, provided wear or poor lighting has not hidden it.

Change the light and check the neighboring feathers before deciding which outline you see. A faint photograph can make a sharper Type F look less distinct.

Finally, examine Q in QUARTER beside a photograph of the same design. Type F’s inherited repetition at Q is a normal design clue, not automatic evidence of a rare doubled die.

 

6. 1968 Washington Quarter Off-Center Strike on a Normal Blank

A blank that sits outside its intended position can receive only part of the quarter design. One area stays unstruck while lettering or artwork runs beyond the opposite edge.

The year reports include ordinary Philadelphia or Denver off-center quarters. They do not identify one exact specimen’s direction or amount of displacement.

This type concerns a normal quarter blank. The very thin, fifty-percent off-center outer-layer piece described later has a different starting material.

A broadstrike can have an uneven border while keeping the complete design. An off-center diagnosis instead needs evidence that part of the intended design missed the blank.

Estimated Value

An estimated $25–$2,000 covers authenticated ordinary examples, from modest shifts through dramatic dated errors. A readable year helps connect an unusual strike to the correct issue.

Large shifts with attractive untouched metal tend to be easier to display. A small shift on a heavily worn coin usually belongs nearer the lower end of the range.

Later trimming can also remove lettering, but it does not create the same original unstruck crescent. Altered edges should not receive a genuine off-center premium.

How to Identify

Compare full views of the front and back before studying the date. Both designs should miss part of the blank, leaving an unstruck area and cutting off details opposite it.

If only one face shifted, a stamping tool may have been misaligned. A wide border with the complete design can instead indicate a broadstrike.

Examine the plain crescent under a magnifier, then follow it into the stamped area. Look for original metal rather than hammer marks that flattened an existing design.

A readable year helps identify the issue, even when other details have fallen outside the blank.

Turn the edge toward the light and check for cutting or filing. Removing part of a finished quarter does not create the same smooth transition into an original unstruck crescent.

 

7. 1968 Washington Quarter Doubled Designs on Ordinary Coins and Proofs

Split letters can be part of the steel tool before it strikes a coin. Such a doubled die repeats the same altered design on the coins it makes.

Denver has two cataloged back patterns, while San Francisco Proofs have four front patterns and a separate doubled back. Ordinary front-doubling reports lack a matched catalog identity.

These should not be confused with inward repetition on QUARTER DOLLAR and the lower wreath. Many coins inherited that feature from a shared master design.

The finish and mint must be identified first. Denver FS-801 and Proof FS-801 are different varieties despite sharing a number.

Estimated Value

Allow an estimated $5–$3,000 across correctly identified ordinary and Proof doubled-tool varieties. The strongest cataloged patterns in excellent condition belong above minor or worn examples.

Common master-design repetition alone adds no special error premium. Flat shelves made by movement during striking also need a different explanation from a doubled tool.

The estimate covers several distinct patterns rather than one universal doubling price. Match the mint, finish, and complete design before comparing the grade and strength of the repeated detail.

How to Identify

With a magnifier, compare Denver WDDR-001 at both wing tips, the wreath, and the inscriptions. WDDR-002 affects UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; supporting dots sit beside D in UNITED and near the arrow shaft.

On Proof DDO-001, examine the motto, date, eyelid, and LIBERTY. DDO-002 repeats TR in TRUST and G in GOD.

DDO-003 affects LIBERTY and the date, with two fine forehead lines. DDO-004 has slight repetition at ERTY.

The Proof DDR-001 shows separation around the outer back lettering and lower leaves. Compare those areas with ordinary inward repetition around the lower wreath, which many coins share.

For an ordinary front candidate, look for raised split outlines in the letters or date. A low, flat shelf beside a letter differs from a second rounded outline.

 

8. 1968 Washington Quarter Double-Struck Proof with a Turned Front Design

Letters from an earlier strike can end up across Washington’s neck when the design turns between blows. The recorded 1968-S Proof shows GOD WE TRUST in that unexpected position.

NGC graded this coin PR68 Ultra Cameo. That describes a highly preserved collector striking with strong contrast between its frosted design and reflective background.

Proofs normally receive repeated blows to sharpen the design. The error here is the displaced picture left by abnormal movement, not repeated pressure alone.

This coin differs from a doubled die, which has repeated detail built into one stamping tool. Its earlier impression occupies a separate position.

Estimated Value

Estimate $300–$5,000 for genuine displaced double-struck 1968-S Proofs, with obvious overlapping designs and strong preservation supporting the higher end. Reflective surfaces also make scratches particularly visible.

A same-series comparison is a 1972-S PR65 Cameo double strike recorded at $805 in 2010. It is a different year and specimen, not a sale of the PR68 Ultra Cameo coin described here.

The readable earlier motto gives this example a useful identifying feature beyond a general doubled appearance.

How to Identify

The neck is the place to start on this Proof. Find the unexpected GOD WE TRUST and follow its letters as a group rather than treating each line separately.

Compare their spacing with the normal motto beside Washington. The earlier words should fit another position of the quarter’s design, even where the later strike partly flattened them.

Low-angle light helps distinguish raised surviving letters from scratches cut into the reflective background. Check several neighboring letters under a magnifier rather than relying on a single bright line.

Broaden the view to include the portrait, date, and rim. A second displaced picture across the coin supports a double strike; normal Proof sharpness or a small flat shelf does not.

 

9. 1968 Washington Quarter Struck on an Irregular Scrap Blank

An irregular piece left from blank production can enter a coin press. When it receives a design, the result does not begin with the normal round outline of a quarter.

A 1968-D example was cataloged as struck on a fifty-two-percent scrap planchet and graded PCGS MS63. Planchet is another term for the metal blank.

The catalog’s percentage describes its scrap-blank identification. It should not automatically be read as a fifty-two-percent off-center strike.

Scrap shape and design placement are separate observations. A cut-down finished quarter may look irregular too, but its edges were changed after the design was already present.

Estimated Value

Use an estimated $300–$5,000 for an authenticated scrap-blank quarter with recognizable 1968-D details. An unusual outline and clear struck edges help distinguish it from a damaged ordinary coin.

This is a comparison-based range for the documented type, not a claimed auction result for the PCGS MS63 example. More complete identifying details and original surfaces generally improve appeal.

The percentage on the catalog label does not set a price by itself. The actual shape and strike need to be visible.

How to Identify

Find the date and D within a full view of the irregular piece. Those details connect the stamped scrap to this quarter issue.

Under a magnifier, follow the design toward each unusual edge. Some areas may be stamped while others retain blank metal.

Fresh saw marks or filed edges suggest a finished coin was cut down. Examine several edges, including the places where letters meet the boundary.

A digital scale can record the weight of a loose piece, but ordinary quarter weight alone cannot identify irregular scrap.

Keep the entire outline visible when comparing it with the certified example. The catalog’s fifty-two-percent scrap description does not tell you how far the design shifted during striking.

 

10. 1968 Washington Quarter Die Cap

A quarter that stays attached to a stamping tool can receive further pressure as new blanks enter the press. Its metal may spread outward and rise into a cup around the tool.

This is called a die cap. The quarter becomes the cap, while die means the steel tool underneath it.

The 1968 year guide reports this type without identifying a mint, finish, or certified specimen. A candidate therefore needs to establish those details from its surfaces and designs.

The cup must also be distinguished from later bending. A bowl-shaped coin alone does not prove repeated striking in the Mint.

Estimated Value

For an authenticated 1968 die cap, estimate $500–$7,500, depending on its depth, readable identity, and condition. A clear cup with walls makes a stronger display than slight distortion.

This range uses comparable quarter caps rather than a recorded sale for an identified 1968 specimen. A confirmed Proof would require a separate comparison with Proof errors.

Crushed walls or later bending can reduce appeal. The valuable feature is the shape formed during striking, not damage that makes a coin look unusual.

How to Identify

Look at the cup from the side, with light falling across its walls and flatter center. Follow the surviving design upward under a magnifier to see whether the metal stretched as it rose around the stamping tool.

A later bend often leaves a distinct fold through an otherwise normal design, rather than stretching it through repeated pressure. Examine both faces for that fold and for small gripping marks left by pliers or another tool.

Find the remaining date and mint letter without pressing the cup flat or forcing its sides outward. The date helps identify the coin, while the walls and stretched artwork must agree with a cap formed during striking.

 

11. 1968 Washington Quarter Struck on Nickel, Dime, or Cent Blanks

A quarter’s design can land on a blank intended for a smaller coin. The wrong size or alloy then changes its outline, weight, and visible lettering.

A Denver nickel-blank example is recorded in PCGS AU58 condition. A separate San Francisco Proof on a nickel blank weighs 4.9 grams and is identified as double-struck later.

Another Proof on a clad dime blank has closely overlapping strikes and outward spread. A Proof cent-blank type is also reported, without an identified certified specimen.

These descriptions concern unused blanks. Remnants of an older coin design would instead point to a finished coin struck again.

Estimated Value

Estimate $150–$2,500 for ordinary nickel-blank errors and $1,500–$10,000 for authenticated Proof wrong-blank examples of these kinds. The extra strikes contribute to the whole coin’s value.

The PR65 Cameo nickel-blank Proof sold for $2,185 in January 2008. A dime-blank Proof appeared with asking prices of $4,250 and $4,700 in separate published offers.

Those offers are not completed sales. The reported cent-blank type requires its own authentication rather than borrowing the dime or nickel coin’s identity.

How to Identify

Weigh a loose candidate on a digital scale before judging its clipped-looking letters. A normal clad quarter weighs 5.67 grams.

A nickel blank normally weighs 5 grams, a clad dime blank 2.27 grams, and a copper cent blank 3.11 grams. Compare the edge metal too: a dime blank has a copper center, while a nickel blank does not.

The documented nickel-blank Proof weighs 4.9 grams. Use a magnifier to look for displaced design from its additional strike, rather than normal sharp Proof lettering.

The dime-blank Proof combines close overlapping impressions with an expanded edge. Examine those features together.

A copper cent-blank candidate needs professional confirmation of its metal and size. Surviving Lincoln details would instead suggest a finished cent received the quarter design.

 

12. 1968 Washington Quarter Fifty-Percent Off-Center Strike on an Outer Layer

This striking surface was only a quarter’s outer metal layer, rather than a complete layered blank. The thin piece received a design fifty percent off center.

The documented Philadelphia example weighs just 0.9 gram and was graded NGC MS64. Its weight is part of its identity, not a normal quarter specification.

The unstruck portion and interrupted design show where the thin piece sat between the tools. The layered structure was already incomplete when this strike occurred.

That makes it different from a finished quarter that later sheds a matching fragment. Both involve outer metal, but their sequence and objects differ.

Estimated Value

Estimate $1,000–$12,000 for a comparable authenticated thin-layer strike with a readable identity and substantial displacement. This range reflects the unusual combination rather than the value of the metal.

The documented 0.9-gram example shows how little metal can carry this error. Clear design and an undamaged thin edge are important because such a piece is easily bent.

A peeled fragment from a normal finished quarter should not inherit this range merely because it also weighs very little.

How to Identify

A weight check can quickly show that a loose candidate is far lighter than a complete quarter. Use a digital scale without pressing or flattening the piece.

The known example weighs 0.9 gram; an intact clad quarter normally weighs 5.67 grams.

Inspect the thin edge under a magnifier for the missing copper center and opposite outer layer. Support the piece carefully while turning it.

Now compare the plain area with the design cut off at the opposite edge. They should show that the thin piece received its own off-center strike.

A fragment peeled from a finished quarter can retain part of the old design. It needs a separate displaced impression to match this independently struck, fifty-percent off-center example.

 

13. 1968 Washington Quarter Proof Struck on a Ninety-Percent Silver Blank

A 1968-S Proof should normally have a copper center between pale outer layers. The documented wrong-metal example instead was struck on a ninety-percent silver blank.

PCGS graded the coin PR64, and its recorded weight is 6.3 grams. The auction description notes sharp designs, reflective backgrounds, and a pale edge visible through its holder.

The S identifies San Francisco but does not make every 1968 Proof silver. The normal metal for the issue was copper-nickel clad.

A silver-colored coating can hide the copper band on an ordinary quarter. The valuable error therefore requires the correct composition, weight, finish, and identity together.

Estimated Value

The silver-blank Proof sold for $11,700 at Heritage in May 2022. A comparable authenticated example has an estimated range of $7,000–$20,000.

The special metal and confirmed Proof identity distinguish it from an ordinary shiny 1968 quarter. Surface marks and later cleaning can still affect the price.

This is a whole-coin comparison for the rare wrong-metal striking. The silver content alone accounts for only a small part of the value represented by that auction result.

How to Identify

A pale edge deserves a closer look, but plating can hide the copper center of a normal quarter. Examine both faces and the full edge under neutral light.

For a loose coin, use a digital scale to compare its weight with the usual clad standard of 5.67 grams. The documented silver error weighs 6.3 grams.

Check the readable 1968 date and S, then examine the reflective background and sharply formed design. Polishing can make an ordinary coin shine without giving it original Proof surfaces.

Have a specialist test the metal without scratching through the edge. Silver-colored plating must be distinguished from the correct silver alloy throughout the coin.

 

Conclusion

A lighter quarter might have lost a layer, while an extremely thin piece might be only a layer that received its own strike. The distinction changes the comparison completely.

Across the errors and comparison varieties here, estimated values span $5–$20,000. Check the mint, finish, and surviving metal before matching smaller details.

A familiar letter outline or bright edge is only a starting clue. The expensive examples need the right combination of features.