1912 Quarter Error List with Pictures
A crack in a coin’s metal differs from a raised line left by a cracked striking tool. That distinction matters for the documented 1912 quarter error: a cracked-blank San Francisco coin.
Estimated values are $100 to $750 for circulated examples. For comparison, a cracked 1917-S Standing Liberty quarter sold for $139 in September 2024; that is a different design and date.
Here is how to examine the break without putting pressure on the coin.
1912 Barber Quarter Cracked Planchet
The metal itself has a crack. A weakness in the planchet, the blank disk used to make a coin, can open under striking pressure.
GreatCollections listed a 1912-S example graded ANACS XF40 Details. XF40 describes a worn coin that still retains much of its design; Details flags a condition problem.
The catalog names a cracked blank, not a missing curved bite. Its wording does not establish the crack’s direction or the reason for the condition note.
A raised line from a broken striking tool is a different feature.
Estimated Value
An estimated $100 to $750 covers circulated 1912-S quarters with an identified original blank crack. The amount depends on remaining detail, surface problems, and how clearly the break can be seen.
A 1917-S Standing Liberty quarter with a cracked blank sold for $139 on September 16, 2024 at Heritage. It was graded VF20, meaning moderate wear.
That later design offers a same-metal comparison, not the price of the ANACS XF40 Details Barber coin.
How to Identify
Do not try to open the crack. Support a loose coin without bending it, or examine a sealed coin through its holder.
Photograph the opening under angled light, then follow it toward the edge and inspect the opposite face. A real break involves the coin’s metal; a thin raised ridge can instead come from a crack in the striking tool.
Look for tool grooves, fresh cut edges, or a bent area that could point to later damage. A line that reaches the rim is not enough by itself to prove a mint error.
Record the 1912 date and the S below the eagle on the back. Ask a specialist to assess the fracture and any separate condition problem without forcing the opening wider.
Conclusion
This 1912-S error concerns a break in the blank, not an extra raised line on the surface. An estimated $100 to $750 reflects circulated examples with different levels of wear and damage.
The $139 comparison belongs to a 1917-S Standing Liberty quarter, so keep that sale separate. Preserve the crack as found and let clear photographs guide the first examination.
A fragile opening should never be widened to make it easier to see.