Rare 2019 Quarter Errors Worth Money (Full List With Pictures)

A 2019 Lowell quarter with a die break on Washington’s earlobe — the so-called “Earring” error — sold for $4,695 at auction. The complete 2019 quarter error list covers eight documented error types across the America the Beautiful series, with values ranging from $5 for minor die chips to $4,695 for that famous die break.

This was also the first year the US Mint released W (West Point) mint mark quarters into general circulation at just 2 million per design, which means any error on a W-mint coin carries extra weight. Here is what to look for.

1. 2019 Quarter Die Chip Error (Up to $15)

A die chip forms when a fragment breaks away from the die’s surface, leaving a void that fills with metal on every coin struck afterward. The result is a raised blob or line that does not match the original design.

Die chips appear across multiple 2019 ATB designs. On the River of No Return quarter, look for a raised line where the boat meets the water.

On the Lowell quarter, a chip near the bell tower tip created the “Ghost in the Bell Tower” variety. War in the Pacific quarters show chips at the base of Washington’s profile.

Value: A 2019 War in the Pacific quarter with a die chip on Washington’s neck sold for $15 on eBay. The “Ghost in the Bell Tower” Lowell variety sells in the $10 to $15 range depending on visibility and coin grade.

River of No Return die chips sit in the $5 to $10 range. These are the most affordable 2019 quarter errors, making them easy starting points for new collectors working through the ATB series.

How to Identify: Use a 10x loupe and look for a small raised bump, blob, or line on the coin’s surface that clearly does not belong to the original design. Die chips are always raised above the field — never sunken or scratched.

Tilt the coin under a direct light source. The raised material will catch light differently from the surrounding surface, making it easier to spot against the design.

Compare your coin against a reference image of the same 2019 ATB design in normal condition. Die chips are small enough to miss at a glance, so knowing what the coin should look like helps you spot what should not be there.

The fastest confirmation: if the bump is raised, metallic, and matches the coin’s surface color, it is a die chip. If it is discolored, loose, or sits on top of the surface, it is debris.

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2. 2019 Quarter American Memorial Park Struck Through Error (Up to $85)

A struck-through error occurs when a foreign object gets trapped between the die and planchet during striking. On the 2019 American Memorial Park quarter, a foreign object was pressed into the reverse, obliterating part of the date and leaving an impression across the woman’s forearm.

The foreign material — likely grease, a cloth fiber, or a thin metal fragment — blocked the die from fully impressing the design in the affected area. This particular error is notable because it disrupted the date, which makes the missing detail immediately visible without magnification.

Value: One 2019 American Memorial Park quarter with a struck-through error on the reverse sold for $85 on eBay. General pricing for struck-through errors on 2019 ATB quarters ranges from $15 to $85 depending on the size and location of the affected area.

Errors that obscure key design elements like the date or mint mark command the higher end of that range. Small grease fills in less prominent areas sell for under $20.

How to Identify: Look for an area on the coin where the design appears flattened, missing, or pressed with an unusual texture that does not match the surrounding surface. On the American Memorial Park variety, the reverse date area and the woman’s forearm show the clearest evidence.

Struck-through grease leaves smooth blank patches. Struck-through debris or fibers leave textured impressions — sometimes you can see the weave pattern of cloth or the outline of a wire fragment.

Under a 10x loupe, the surrounding design should show normal strike quality right up to the boundary of the error. The transition between struck and unstruck areas will be clean and defined, unlike post-mint damage which tends to blur across a wider zone.

The fastest confirmation: check that the affected area is recessed below the coin’s normal surface with sharp, defined edges.

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3. 2019 Quarter Lowell Double Struck Error (Up to $100)

A double struck error occurs when a coin fails to eject from the striking chamber and gets hit by the dies a second time. The second strike lands on top of the first, creating overlapping design elements that range from subtle to dramatic depending on how much the coin shifted between impacts.

On 2019-D Lowell quarters, double struck errors show doubling on the obverse devices, particularly Washington’s portrait. This is a mechanical striking error — distinct from a doubled die, which originates during die production and repeats identically across every coin from that die.

Value: Double struck 2019 Lowell quarters sell for up to $100 depending on the severity of the overlap and overall coin condition. Examples with dramatic separation between the two strikes — where both impressions are clearly distinguishable — command the highest premiums.

Coins with subtle doubling visible only under magnification sell closer to $30 to $50. No individually graded example has appeared at a major auction house for this specific design and date.

How to Identify: Look for overlapping design elements on the obverse, especially around Washington’s portrait, the date, and LIBERTY. A true double strike shows two complete or near-complete impressions offset from each other.

Compare this to machine doubling, which produces flat, shelf-like distortions without sharp definition. A genuine double strike shows two distinct sets of raised design detail, while machine doubling only shows one raised image with a flat shadow.

Check the coin’s edge — on a double struck coin, the reeding may be partially flattened or doubled in areas where the second strike distorted the rim. The coin should still weigh 5.67 grams, the standard for a clad quarter, which helps rule out a two-planchet bonding error.

The fastest confirmation: two clearly separate impressions of any design element, both with full relief.

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4. 2019 Quarter War in the Pacific Die Break Error (Up to $100)

A die break is a larger, more severe version of a die chip — it occurs when a substantial piece of the die’s surface fractures and separates under repeated striking pressure. Metal from the planchet fills the resulting void, creating a raised, irregular mass on the finished coin.

On the 2019 War in the Pacific quarter, a documented die break cuts through the letter E on QUARTER DOLLAR on the reverse. The same coin also shows a filled mint mark and rim cuds, which means multiple die failures happened simultaneously — stacking errors that multiply collector interest.

Value: A 2019 War in the Pacific quarter with a die break, off-center strike, and rim cuds sold for $100 on eBay. The combination of multiple errors on a single coin drove the price — individual die breaks on this design without additional errors sell for less, typically $20 to $50.

Rim cuds, where the die break extends to the edge and creates a raised blob, are the most valuable subtype. Clean, prominent cuds visible without magnification bring the strongest premiums.

How to Identify: Look for a raised, irregular mass of metal on the coin’s surface that is larger and more pronounced than a die chip. Die breaks often appear as thick raised lines or blobs, especially near the rim where stress concentrations are highest.

Check for rim cuds by examining the coin’s edge. A cud shows up as a smooth, dome-shaped raised area flowing from the field up to or over the rim — it is part of the coin and cannot be removed.

Run your fingernail across the suspected break — genuine die breaks feel raised and solid, matching the coin’s metal exactly. Post-mint damage such as plier marks or vise scratches will feel sharp, jagged, or incised rather than smooth.

The fastest confirmation: a raised blob at the rim that disrupts both the design and the edge profile is a cud die break.

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5. 2019 Quarter San Antonio Missions Off-Center Error (Up to $138)

An off-center strike happens when the planchet is not properly seated between the dies before the press comes down. The resulting coin shows the design shifted to one side, leaving a crescent-shaped blank area along the opposite edge where no design was impressed.

On a documented 2019 San Antonio Missions quarter, the reverse cross was struck noticeably to the left, leaving extra blank space on the right side of the coin. The shift measured approximately 5% off-center — modest compared to extreme examples, but enough to create visible asymmetry.

Value: A 2019 San Antonio Missions quarter with a 5% off-center error sold for $138 on eBay. The percentage of displacement directly scales with price — a 10% or greater off-center with the date still visible would likely exceed $200.

Coins where the date and mint mark remain fully readable despite significant displacement command the strongest premiums. Off-center errors that cut into the date or lose the mint mark entirely are worth less because key attribution details are missing.

How to Identify: Look for a crescent-shaped blank area along one edge of the coin where the design failed to reach. The design on the opposite side will appear crowded against the rim due to the shift.

Measure the blank crescent at its widest point and compare it to the coin’s full diameter of 24.3mm to estimate the off-center percentage. Use calipers for precision.

Weigh the coin — it should still be 5.67 grams because a genuine off-center strike uses a full planchet. If it weighs less, you may have a clipped planchet instead, which is a different error.

Check the edge reeding — on an off-center coin, the reeding may be absent or distorted on the side closest to the blank crescent. The fastest confirmation: a crescent blank on one side with the date still visible on the other.

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6. 2019 Quarter San Antonio Missions Missing Clad Layer Error (Up to $1,500)

ATB quarters use a copper-nickel clad composition — two nickel-alloy outer layers bonded to a pure copper core. A missing clad layer error occurs when one outer layer fails to bond properly during strip preparation, peeling away before the blank is punched and struck.

On 2019 San Antonio Missions quarters, this error exposes the copper core near Washington’s ponytail and hair tie on the obverse. Some examples show only a small patch of copper, while dramatic full-side missing layers turn the entire obverse face copper-orange against the expected silver-gray.

Value: One uncirculated 2019 San Antonio Missions quarter with a dramatic full-side missing clad layer on the obverse sold for $1,500 on eBay. Partial missing clad errors with small exposed copper areas sell for much less, typically $10 to $50.

The value gap between partial and full is enormous because a full missing layer is visually dramatic from across the room, while a partial requires close inspection. Grade matters too — mint state examples with sharp detail command the top premiums.

How to Identify: Look for copper-orange coloring on one side of the coin where the surface should be silver-gray. The color difference is visible to the naked eye on full missing layers — no magnification needed.

Weigh the coin on a digital scale accurate to 0.01 grams. A normal 2019 quarter weighs 5.67 grams, and a coin missing one clad layer will weigh noticeably less — typically around 5.2 to 5.3 grams.

Do not confuse this with environmental damage or chemical exposure, which can also discolor a coin’s surface. On a genuine missing clad error, the edge cross-section will show the copper core exposed on one side of the sandwich, and the coin’s weight will be measurably low.

The fastest confirmation: weigh the coin — low weight plus copper exposure on one face equals a missing clad layer error.

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7. 2019 Quarter Lowell “Angel Wing” Struck Through Error (Up to $1,500)

This is the most visually dramatic struck-through error in the 2019 ATB series. A large foreign object was trapped between the die and planchet during striking, leaving a sweeping blank impression across Washington’s portrait on the obverse that collectors have nicknamed the “Angel Wing” for its shape.

The specific example that set the auction record was a 2019-W Lowell quarter — a West Point issue with a mintage of just 2 million. The combination of the rare W mint mark and a dramatic, design-obscuring struck-through error created a coin that stands out both visually and in terms of scarcity.

Value: A 2019-W Lowell quarter with the “Angel Wing” struck-through error sold for $1,500 on eBay. The W mint mark was a major value driver — the same error on a P or D mint coin would sell for considerably less, likely $100 to $300.

Smaller struck-through errors on W-mint 2019 quarters without the dramatic wing shape sell for $50 to $200. The visual impact of this error pushed it to four figures.

How to Identify: The “Angel Wing” presents as a large, smooth, blank area swept across Washington’s portrait on the obverse, roughly resembling a wing shape. The affected zone lacks design detail entirely where the foreign object blocked the die.

Examine the boundaries of the blank area under a 10x loupe. On a genuine struck-through, the transition between the struck and unstruck zones is clean and defined — the normal design stops abruptly where the foreign object began.

Check the mint mark below the date on the obverse. If it reads “W,” the coin is a West Point issue and carries a substantial premium over P or D mint versions of the same error.

The fastest confirmation: a large, smooth blank zone on the obverse with sharp boundaries and a W mint mark. If the blank area has rough edges or scratches, it is likely post-mint damage.

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8. 2019 Quarter Lowell “Earring” Die Break Error (Up to $4,695)

The “Earring” die break is the most valuable documented error in the entire 2019 ATB quarter series. A piece of the obverse die fractured near Washington’s earlobe, and the resulting void filled with metal during striking — producing a raised blob that sits directly on the ear, making it look like Washington is wearing an earring.

The location is what makes it special. A die break anywhere else on the coin would be worth a fraction of this price, but the accidental “earring” placement gives it a visual story that collectors respond to with real money.

Value: A 2019 Lowell quarter with the “Earring” die break sold for $4,695, the highest confirmed price for any 2019 quarter error. General die break errors on 2019 Lowell quarters without the ear-adjacent placement sell in the $20 to $100 range.

The “Earring” premium is driven entirely by location. Die breaks on less visually interesting areas of the same coin bring standard die break prices, not four figures.

How to Identify: Focus your 10x loupe on the area just beside and below Washington’s ear on the obverse. The “Earring” error presents as a raised, irregular blob of metal sitting on or very close to the earlobe, completely out of place against the smooth portrait.

The blob should be raised above the surrounding surface and made of the same metal as the coin itself. It will not be a different color, and it cannot be removed — it is part of the struck coin.

Compare against a normal 2019 Lowell quarter — the ear area on a normal coin is smooth and follows the standard Washington portrait contour. Any raised mass in that zone that disrupts the portrait is a die break.

The fastest confirmation: a raised metallic blob on or adjacent to Washington’s earlobe that matches the coin’s surface color and cannot be scraped off.

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Conclusion

The 2019 ATB quarter error market spans from $5 for minor die chips to $4,695 for the Lowell “Earring” die break. W-mint coins with errors carry the highest premiums due to their 2-million-per-design mintage cap.

A 10x loupe and a digital scale cover identification for every error on this list. Pay extra attention to 2019 Lowell quarters — three of the four most valuable errors on this list come from that single design.