1918/7-S Standing Liberty Quarter: What’s It Worth?

Specifications

Denomination: 25 Cents
Series: Standing Liberty Quarters
Designer: Hermon A. MacNeil
Years of issue: 1916–1930
Composition: 90% Silver, 10% Copper
Weight: 6.25 g
Diameter: 24.3 mm
Mintage: 11072000
Key mintages: Total 1918-S quarter mintage; overdate output never recorded separately — overdate mintage unknown (Heritage)

Melt value: $11.66silver $64.40/ozt, copper $0.44/ozt · prices as of Sep 16, 2026

The 1918/7-S overdate is one of the great 20th-century varieties: even well-worn examples start around $1,500 (CoinWeek), and the finest known — an MS67 — brought $108,000 at auction in August 2024 (CoinWeek).

History

The 1918/7-S is a famous doubled-die overdate created when a 1917-dated hub and a 1918-dated hub both left impressions in the same working die — the underlying 7 shows through the 8 in the date (CoinWorld).
It went unnoticed for nearly 20 years: the first known specimen surfaced in a 1937 Barney Bluestone auction, where it was thought to be unique (Heritage).
The Standing Liberty quarter (1916–1930) is one of America’s most admired designs, by sculptor Hermon A. MacNeil (Wikipedia).
The overdate was struck at the San Francisco Mint; total 1918-S quarter output was 11,072,000, but the Mint never recorded the overdate’s output separately, so how many 1918/7-S coins were struck is unknown (Heritage).
The date sits on one of the highest points of the design and wears away quickly — most survivors are well worn (Heritage; CoinWeek).

What is it worth

The strength of the overdate matters — bold, clearly visible 7s are more desirable than weak ones, and strong overdates with full separation command the premiums (CoinWeek).
Well-worn examples start around $1,500 (CoinWeek).
A VG-10 CAC example sold for $2,350 at a February 3, 2014 auction (Coin World).
The auction record: an MS67 brought $108,000 at Heritage on August 18, 2024 (CoinWeek, citing PCGS/Heritage).
The strength of the overdate matters — bold, clearly visible 7s are more desirable than weak ones (CoinWeek).
Because of the value involved and the alteration risk, authentication by PCGS, NGC, or ANACS is strongly advised before buying or selling (Heritage).

What drives the premium

Rarity of a famous variety: the best-known 20th-century overdate in the quarter series (CoinWorld).
Grade survival: the date’s high-point position means few examples survived with a sharp overdate (Heritage).
Overdate strength: bold underdigits command premiums over weak ones (CoinWeek).
Full Head designation on higher-grade pieces is extremely rare — one specialist tally showed 350 non-Full Head versus just 20 Full Head certified (CoinWeek).

How to identify the valuable variety

The key diagnostic: the underdigit 7 curves slightly and fills the right side of the upper loop and the middle of the lower loop of the 8 (Heritage).
Look for the die clash at Liberty’s right knee (from the reverse’s E in the motto), a diagonal wing-feather clash running through the first T in TRUST, and the missing step beneath Liberty’s right-facing foot — the toes are usually missing too (Heritage).
Confirm the S mint mark on the obverse — this entry covers the San Francisco issue only; a Philadelphia 1918/7 also exists (Heritage; CoinWorld).
Diagnostics vary with wear and die state, so compare against certified examples; never buy a raw high-value example without authentication (Heritage).
Confirm the S mint mark on the obverse — this entry covers the San Francisco issue only; a separate Philadelphia 1918/7 overdate exists, so attribute the mint before you price it (CoinWorld; Heritage).

Specifications

Composition: 90% silver, 10% copper (Wikipedia; Heritage)
Weight: 6.25 g (Heritage)
Diameter: 24.3 mm (Wikipedia)
Edge: reeded (Wikipedia)
Designer: Hermon A. MacNeil (Wikipedia)
Mint: San Francisco, S mint mark (Heritage)
Mintage: 11,072,000 total for 1918-S (Heritage) — the overdate’s mintage was never recorded separately and is unknown

Collector notes

The Standing Liberty quarter’s notoriously weak shield strike carries into this issue — expect softness there even on high-grade pieces (CoinWeek).
Counterfeits and added-mint-mark/altered-date fakes are a real risk at these prices; buy certified (Heritage).
No verified public-domain photograph of the 1918/7-S overdate could be found for this entry — it ships without an image, since a generic Standing Liberty quarter would not show the overdate this entry is about.