1847 Quarter Error List with Pictures
The letters and claws on an 1847 quarter’s back can remain visibly doubled even after years of wear. A doubled-back example paired with a repunched date sold for $5,750 in August 2007.
Other 1847 quarter errors include an extra 8 near Liberty’s rock and metal raised by damaged tools. Estimated values below range from $40–$25,000 for complete coins.
Read on to find the right clues without mistaking a worn date or an ordinary scratch for a different error.
1. 1847 Liberty Seated Quarter Raised Cracks, Chips, and Rim Breaks
Damaged stamping tools can leave extra metal as a fine line or a larger raised patch. A crack makes a narrow ridge, while a missing piece of the tool allows a broader lump to form.
One 1847 quarter has back cracks near UNITED, the olive leaves, and STATES. Another feature reported for this year is a large raised chip just below Liberty’s shield.
A larger rim-connected break is also reported. Called a cud, it must reach the original rim; the interior shield chip is different, and these examples need not occur together.
Estimated Value
For circulated examples with identifiable tool damage, estimate $40–$2,500 for the whole coin. A prominent rim break can attract more attention than a small hairline crack.
The back cracks are also recorded on an exceptional NGC MS65+ misplaced-date coin. Its value includes its condition and date variety, so it needs the separate comparison in that section.
Surface quality and readable surrounding design matter. Raised damage from a later impact does not become an original tool break because it looks bulky.
How to Identify
Decide whether the extra metal is a line, an interior lump, or a patch connected to the rim. These shapes require different comparisons.
For the back cracks, inspect the N in UNITED toward the olive leaves and the joined letters near TES in STATES. For the front chip, examine immediately below the shield rather than searching the date.
A suspected cud must connect to the original rim. Trace that connection before assigning the name.
Use light from opposite sides to distinguish raised metal from a cut or deposit. Compare the surrounding design for signs of a dent that pushed metal upward.
Leave any attached material untouched until an expert can distinguish it from original struck metal.
2. 1847 Liberty Seated Quarter Doubled Back with Two Date Pairings
The horizontal strokes inside A and R in the lower back denomination show clear separation. Extra outlines also appear on the eagle’s claws at the viewer’s left.
The stamping tool carried the doubled design, so each coin could receive it during a normal strike. That back tool was paired with two different fronts.
One front has a repunched 47, with traces below 4 and left of 7. The other has a normal date; wear can also erase the extra date traces, so their absence alone does not rule out the doubled back.
Estimated Value
Identified examples have an estimated whole-coin range of $100–$7,000. Clear doubling can survive on worn coins, while sharp, original examples can bring much higher prices.
PCGS records an MS64 FS-801 example at $5,750 on August 8, 2007, at Heritage. FS-801, formerly FS-002, identifies the combined repunched-date and doubled-back variety.
Compare the actual front pairing as well as condition. Do not automatically apply a high-grade combined-variety price to every worn doubled-back coin.
How to Identify
Start on the back, where the doubling is often easier to see than the repeated date. Magnify the horizontal strokes in A and R of the abbreviated denomination, then compare the claws on the viewer’s left.
Check these extra outlines against a clear doubled-back reference before moving to the front. On a well-preserved repunched-date example, look below 4 and to the left of 7 for the earlier strokes.
A normal-looking date can belong to the other front pairing, or its small extra strokes may have worn away. Use a specialist’s comparison of the full date position when wear makes those two explanations difficult to separate.
3. 1847 Liberty Seated Quarter Extra 8 at Liberty’s Rock
A small curved loop sticks out beneath the bottom edge of Liberty’s rock. It is the lower part of an 8 placed above and left of the regular date digit.
This misplaced-date variety resulted from a date punch contacting the stamping tool too high. The correctly positioned date remained below the stray impression.
An NGC MS65+ example is recorded as Briggs 3-C, FS-301. Its back also has fine tool cracks, but the extra 8 is a separate feature and should not be confused with the repunched 47 of the doubled-back variety.
Estimated Value
Estimate $100–$25,000 for identified FS-301 quarters, from worn examples through unusually well-preserved coins. The price includes the complete coin’s condition and the visibility of the extra loop.
The NGC MS65+ Newman example illustrates the high-preservation end. MS65+ describes an unworn coin with especially attractive surfaces within that grade.
A weakly visible loop on a cleaned coin needs a lower comparison. The accompanying fine cracks do not create a second price to add.
How to Identify
Locate the normal 8 in the date and look above and slightly left of it. Follow the bottom edge of the rock to find the small loop that projects below that edge.
Compare its curve with an FS-301 close-up, keeping the regular date in the same photograph. The nearby rock outline can otherwise make an unrelated bump look like a numeral.
Tilt the silver under a small light to confirm that the loop is raised rather than scratched into the surface. Do not scrape deposits from this tiny area.
The location separates this feature from the lower 4 and left-of-7 traces of the repunched-date variety. Match the extra 8 itself before relying on any back cracks.
Conclusion
The estimated $40–$25,000 range covers whole 1847 quarters with different tool defects and date varieties. Start with the strongest visible clue: repeated back details, the extra 8 beneath the rock, or an original raised break.
Keep the date pairings and separate specimens straight. A worn date can hide small traces, while several features on one coin still belong to one condition and one overall value.