1955 Quarter Error List with Pictures
A tiny extra D can be worth a closer look. A 1959-D quarter with a repunched mintmark sold for about $541 in January 2017, offering a comparison for the different 1955-D variety.
1955 quarter errors also include missing blank edges, a split metal surface, and doubled lettering on collector coins. Estimated whole-coin values below range from $20–$750.
The shape of the extra metal matters as much as the missing parts. Read on to see where each feature appears.
1. 1955 Washington Quarter Front Lamination Split
A thin flap or shallow peeled patch can interrupt Washington’s side of a 1955-D quarter. This is called a lamination: a weak area inside the metal separates from the surrounding surface.
Harbor Coin listed a front-lamination example graded MS64 by NGC. That grade means no circulation wear, with some visible marks.
The flaw belongs to the silver alloy itself. A normal 1955 quarter contains ninety percent silver throughout, rather than the separate pale outer layers and copper center found in later circulation quarters.
Estimated Value
An estimated $20–$175 suits genuine 1955-D laminations, depending on condition and how clearly the metal split can be seen. This range values the entire coin.
A broad attached flap generally offers more visual interest than a tiny rough spot. Cleaning scratches or damage across the split can make the original flaw harder to judge.
The listed MS64 example establishes a graded coin, but its listing does not disclose a completed sale price.
How to Identify
Do not try to lift a loose piece of metal. A flap can break away and remove part of the coin’s original surface.
Instead, shine a small light across the front and follow the split with a magnifier. A natural separation may run underneath nearby metal, while a scratch usually cuts an open groove.
Turn the coin over to find the D below the wreath. This Denver mark and the 1955 date identify the issue, but neither explains a random scrape.
Compare the intact design with the affected area, looking for a thin layer separating along an uneven boundary. At the split’s edge, check for metal lifting from within the coin rather than piled beside a gouge.
2. 1955 Washington Quarter Clipped Blank Edges
Both a straight missing edge and a curved bite can begin before the coin receives its design. The metal blank, or planchet, was punched from the wrong part of a larger strip.
A straight clip can come from the strip’s edge. A curved clip can overlap a hole left by an earlier blank.
Heritage cataloged a 1955 straight clip graded ANACS MS63, weighing 6.07 grams. A separate NGC MS66 curved clip also appears in its archive; these are two different coins, not two views of one error.
Estimated Value
Allow roughly $25–$200 for a genuine 1955 clipped quarter. Small gaps on worn coins belong toward the lower end, while clean surfaces and a clear missing segment help stronger examples.
Both recorded 1955 coins appeared in grouped auction lots. A group total cannot be treated as either coin’s individual price.
The MS66 curved clip has a higher condition grade than the MS63 straight clip, but shape and size also influence appeal.
How to Identify
A normal silver quarter measures about 24.3 millimeters across and weighs 6.25 grams. Use calipers and a small digital scale on a loose coin to record the remaining diameter and weight.
The straight-clip example’s actual 6.07 grams shows that a genuine missing edge need not remove much weight. Do not remove a coin from its grading holder to weigh it.
With a 10× magnifier, inspect where each end of the gap meets the surviving design. A genuine clip may show softened details nearby and a weak rim opposite the missing area.
Saw marks, a sharp cutting burr, or metal pushed up along the cut suggest later alteration. Follow the design into the gap’s endpoints to see whether striking shaped those edges.
3. 1955 Washington Quarter Repunched D Mintmark
The D beneath the eagle can carry a second, tilted outline. When mintmarks were punched into a die, the steel stamping tool, a second entry could miss the first position.
The coin then received both traces during one strike. It did not need to bounce or return under the press.
The 1955-D year listing describes this D-over-D feature. The important detail is a surviving piece of another letter shape, rather than a D that merely looks fat because of wear, lighting, or a nearby hit.
Estimated Value
For the reported 1955-D repunched mintmark, use an estimated $25–$300. A sharply visible extra D on an unworn coin is more attractive than a faint trace partly lost to wear.
The different 1959-D FS-501 variety provides a price comparison: PCGS records about $541 in January 2017 for an MS65 coin. That higher-grade sale does not set the price of the 1955 pattern.
Good photographs of the letter are especially useful when comparing offers.
How to Identify
Locate the D below the wreath on the reverse. There was no San Francisco quarter issue in 1955, and Philadelphia quarters have no mintmark.
Enlarge the D with a 10× magnifier and keep its straight stroke upright. A second punched position should leave part of a recognizable D, not just a loose lump nearby.
Photograph the same letter from two lighting angles, then compare it with a clearly identified 1955-D example. Shadows move when the lamp moves; the extra metal stays attached to the same part of the letter.
Check for damage that has shoved the main D sideways. The decisive detail is an additional letter outline that fits a second punched position.
4. 1955 Washington Quarter Doubled Lettering on a Proof
The words IN GOD WE TRUST and LIBERTY can look thicker toward the coin’s center. On the listed 1955 Proof variety, some letters also show small separations.
A Proof is a specially made collector coin. This doubled design came from the stamping tool, rather than two separate strikes on the finished coin.
The Wexler-team listing identifies it as Pr WDDO-001. Its examined example also has mechanical doubling on both sides: flat ledges caused during striking, which must be distinguished from the raised doubled design.
Estimated Value
Estimate $50–$400 for an identified 1955 Proof doubled front, allowing for surface marks and the visibility of the extra lettering. Clear photographs matter because this is a small feature.
A different Proof variety, the 1959 FS-101 graded PR67, brought $288 in September 2011. That is a comparison for another year and pattern, not a sale of the 1955 coin.
A scratched or cleaned Proof may bring less despite showing the same doubling.
How to Identify
Place a normal 1955 Proof beside the candidate, or use equally enlarged photographs. Look first at LIBERTY and then move to IN GOD WE TRUST.
Under a 10× magnifier, compare the inward edges of several letters. Extra thickness with small raised separations should repeat where the listed pattern shows it.
Now lower the light to reveal the height of each extra edge. Mechanical doubling forms a flatter shelf and can appear on the very same coin.
Do not use shine alone to identify a Proof; polishing can make an ordinary coin reflective.
The useful comparison is the repeated inward thickening and separation in the front words, after setting aside the flat mechanical ledges.
5. 1955 Washington Quarter Off-Center Strike
A blank crescent beside an incomplete design points to a coin that entered the press off center. The striking tools missed part of the blank, leaving metal without its normal picture or lettering.
The 1955 year guide reports this error type, without identifying a particular mint or certified 1955 specimen. Its illustrated comparison from 1983 is a different year.
For a genuine 1955 example, the surviving date must establish the year. A slightly uneven rim alone does not show that the design was struck partly off the blank.
Estimated Value
A genuine, clearly dated 1955 off-center quarter has an estimated range of $100–$750. Larger visible shifts and an intact date can make the error easier to display.
For a later clad comparison, a 1988-P quarter struck thirty percent off center sold for $109 in January 2022. ANACS graded it MS63, meaning no circulation wear but noticeable marks.
The 1955 range is an estimate for silver examples, not a recorded sale of the reported coin.
How to Identify
Read the date before judging how dramatic the blank crescent looks. If part of 1955 is missing, the remaining digits alone may not settle the year.
Turn the coin over and check where the eagle design ends. A true off-center strike leaves part of the design beyond the blank on both sides, rather than simply widening one rim.
Use a magnifier to inspect the empty metal for grinding or a removed design. On a loose coin, weighing near the normal 6.25 grams supports an intact silver blank; it does not prove the error.
An expanded coin with its entire design present needs a different explanation. Look for actual design loss opposite the blank crescent, not just unequal spacing around Washington.
Conclusion
For 1955 quarters, estimated values run from $20–$750 across the five groups above. A small surface split and a large off-center strike attract different buyers.
Check the letter shapes on Denver coins and the motto on specially made Proofs. For a missing edge, examine how the surrounding design meets the gap.
Keep other years’ auction results separate from the value of your own coin.