1807 Quarter Error List with Pictures
Three different Mint features can share one 1807 quarter. A coin sold for $20,400 in June 2019 had a shallow metal flaw, faint extra design traces, and thin raised cracks.
The sale was for the whole coin. It was not three separate error prices added together.
This 1807 Draped Bust Quarter error guide covers those features within an estimated $200–$25,000 range. Read on to distinguish an original metal flaw from tool marks and later damage.
1. 1807 Draped Bust Quarter Shallow Metal Flaw
A shallow uneven patch sits just left of the two lowest stars on the right side of Liberty. The recorded coin has a flaw in its planchet, the metal disc that became the quarter.
This is different from metal flaking away in layers. A shallow flaw alone does not show that the coin was splitting.
The surrounding design helps explain whether the rough area existed before the coin was struck. Later digging, scraping, and corrosion can also leave shallow hollows.
Keep the depth and outline of the patch in view when comparing examples.
Estimated Value
Estimate $200–$25,000 for worn through attractive unworn 1807 quarters with a confirmed shallow original flaw. A large distracting defect may reduce value rather than create a premium.
The illustrated B-1 example, graded MS64 by PCGS, brought $20,400 at Heritage on June 6, 2019. MS64 means unworn, with some marks.
That result also reflects the coin’s sharp design and attractive surfaces. It is not a price for the small flaw alone.
How to Identify
Find the two lowest stars to the right of Liberty, then inspect the area immediately to their left. This location identifies the recorded example without suggesting that all 1807 quarters have the same patch.
At modest magnification, compare the hollow with the design around it. Look for struck detail continuing into or across the irregular surface, which can help establish that the defect came first.
Tilt the coin under a single lamp. A later gouge may show displaced metal or fresh cut walls; corrosion often leaves broader roughness.
Do not scrape the patch or lift any metal. A close comparison with the photographed auction coin is more useful than assuming every shallow pit is an original blank flaw.
2. 1807 Draped Bust Quarter Faint Design Traces from Colliding Tools
Faint extra shapes appear beside the hair curls and in front of Liberty’s face. On the back, traces of her drapery cross the area near OF.
These are clash marks. They form when the two stamping tools meet without a metal disc between them and mark each other.
Later coins receive those unwanted traces along with the normal design. The finished coin has not been struck with two full sets of portraits.
The 1807 B-1 example shows these marks together with other small Mint features, but their causes are different.
Estimated Value
A practical estimate is $200–$25,000 for circulated through strong unworn examples with this kind of clash. Light traces on a worn coin usually add little by themselves.
The $20,400 MS64 sold in 2019 also carried the shallow flaw described above. That single sale covers the entire coin, including all its visible features.
Clearer clash marks can attract specialist buyers, while scratches and cleaning lower what they will pay. Compare coins with similar wear and surface quality.
How to Identify
Begin on the back near OF, where the unexpected marks should resemble folds from Liberty’s clothing. Compare their shape with the clothing on the front rather than looking for random doubled letters.
Use a magnifier to separate the faint transferred curves from normal lettering. Then inspect the front beside the hair curls and in the open space before the face.
Clash traces belong in particular positions and have shapes related to the opposite design. Straight filing lines or unrelated scratches do not establish a clash.
A complete second portrait would raise a different question, such as a second strike.
Matching the drapery-shaped trace near OF to the known example is the clearest starting check.
3. 1807 Draped Bust Quarter Raised Cracks on the Back
Thin raised lines run from the denomination’s 2 toward UNI and across the tops of ST on the back. They came from cracks in the die, the steel tool that pressed the design into silver.
Metal entered those openings during a strike. The resulting ridges rise above the coin surface rather than cutting into it.
These narrow lines differ from a broad lump caused by a missing piece of the tool. They also differ from damage to the finished coin.
The pattern described here belongs to the recorded B-1 example.
Estimated Value
The estimated whole-coin range is $200–$25,000. At the lower end, heavy wear can leave the crack faint while most of the price reflects the early silver quarter itself.
The same MS64 example discussed in the previous sections sold for $20,400. Its fine cracks were part of an exceptionally well-preserved coin, not separately priced errors.
A more visible ridge can help identify the variety. It does not cancel the effect of cleaning, scratches, or worn design details.
How to Identify
Check whether a suspicious line is raised before trying to follow its route. Light from the side can reveal a ridge that blends into the design under flat overhead lighting.
For this example, start at the 2 in the denomination and follow the fine line toward UNI. Also examine the tops of ST, allowing for sections hidden by wear.
Compare those paths with clear photographs of the known B-1 coin. A scratch may run through the same area, so location without raised relief is not enough.
Check that the line does not simply mark the boundary of an edge dent. The useful distinction is a raised ridge following the recorded route, rather than a cut through the finished surface.
Conclusion
A flaw in the metal, transferred design traces, and raised cracks tell three different stories on an 1807 quarter. Look at the patch, the shapes near OF, and the thin lines across the back separately.
Estimated whole-coin values range from $200–$25,000. The $20,400 auction example combines all three features, so its price must never be counted three times.