Owner Comments:
Many hyperbolic claims surround the 50 State Quarters® Program. For example, it’s often asserted that these new circulating coins turned 100 million Americans into collectors, as they sought to complete sets of quarters from change. If that statement seems overreaching, it’s important to consider the facts of the state-quarter series. For starters, it was certainly the most ambitious commemorative-coinage program and the most aggressive coinage-design program in U.S. history. Additionally, it produced some of the most important collectible quarters of the era, the most prized of which can trade for a few thousand dollars—yes, that’s right, a few thousand! At the outset, 50 different coins were to be struck honoring each state in the nation over the course of a 10-year period. Coins for each state were issued in the order that they achieved statehood. The first state in the union is Delaware, and its coin came first. Coinage legislation required that each state’s governor select the coinage theme design. For Delaware, it was decided that the coin would honor early statesman Caesar Rodney. In 1776, hearing that his fellow Delaware representatives were deadlocked in the vote over independence, Rodney rode 80 miles on horseback (at least partially) through a stormy night to arrive in Philadelphia in time to cast a deciding vote. Shortly thereafter, Rodney signed the Declaration of Independence. As the first coin in the series, the Delaware quarter has some special cachet. But the silver Proof version is turning into a modern “classic.” To begin with, the only way to get the Proof version at the time of issue was to purchase the complete silver nine-piece Proof set from the Mint, which included the cent and nickel, as well as 90 percent silver examples of the dime, half dollar, and all five 1999 quarters: the Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut coins. The initial sales price for the set was $31.95, meaning that these coins were premium items from the start. Slightly more than 800,000 silver Proof sets sold and they were widely dispersed. Today, it is challenging to find more than a handful of the sets on the market, and their price can be as high as $400 per set. The packaging of 1999 statehood quarters Proof sets is different from that of subsequent years. The materials do little to protect the coins from toning, and most 1999 silver quarters are seen with a whitish haze. The Delaware quarter shows Caesar Rodney on horseback on an open field, with most of the margin of the coin flat and open. It may be this aspect of the coin that makes the Delaware quarter particularly prone to discoloration or spotting. As a result, it is far and away the hardest of the silver state quarters to find in the highest condition, Proof-70. There are fewer than half as many Delaware quarters graded at this level by the top grading services than for the next-scarcest quarter. In fact, the finest examples routinely trade for as high as $3,000 per coin! The 50 State Quarters® Program started a trend in circulating-commemorative programs and caused many to take a closer look at their pocket change. There is no doubt that it contributed to a renaissance of coin collecting in the United States. It also produced one of the most coveted of all modern coins in the Proof silver 1999-S Delaware state quarter.
Garrett, Jeff; Schechter, Scott; Bressett, Kenneth; Bowers, Q. David (2011-03-04). 100 Greatest US Modern Coins (Kindle Locations 916-947). Whitman Publishing. Kindle Edition.