Collecting quarters is fun, but don’t expect a big payout

Published 9:41 pm Sunday, November 16, 2008

Time is up, folks.

Some of us who dawdled along for 10 years, tossing state quarters in big jars, have to get the lead out.

Actually, it’s time to get the nickel-copper-clad out.

That’s what state quarters are made from.

Hawaii is on the streets. It’s the 50th and last coin in the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters Program.

To prepare, I spent eight hours sorting out my haphazard collection.

My Uncle Neal in Virginia will be pleased to get a load of quarters from the Denver mint. Ten years ago, we agreed to swap coins. He sends me quarters with the Philadelphia mint stamp.

In scaling down my workload, I decided to only complete three books of the state coins, just like Judi Carr of Everett did. We made one to keep and two for granddaughters.

She kept her collection in order all the way along.

“I have three books of them, mine, and the ones for my two granddaughters,” Carr said. “All I need now is my three Hawaiian ones.”

She mentioned she has a new presidential “gold” dollar.

I don’t care about new coins. I’m done digging through my change.

What a pain.

Snohomish County Council Public Information Officer Fred Bird kept the quarters on his bureau, until he said he stumbled across the semi- official blue coin books in a store.

“The effort went well for several years until my housekeeper tidied up and stashed the book in some obscure place,” Bird said. “That’s happened to my bills, too. I’ve since rediscovered the coin book but have been lax about keeping it up.”

He said he found most of the state designs cluttered and ugly.

“At least two appear to be continuing an old rivalry, namely North Carolina and Ohio, both claiming to be first in flight,” Bird said. “The most artistically pleasing design is Connecticut’s Charter Oak Tree, but that doesn’t surprise me since I’m a 12th generation Nutmegger.”

Bird awarded a double-entendre award to Nevada’s prancing mustangs that rarely fail to draw a laugh from middle-aged men dredging up “fantasies” of the Mustang Ranch, he said.

Taking a different approach, Martin Spani of Lynnwood got booklets where you put in two quarters per state, showing the front of the coin and back of the coin.

“I’ve got them sitting in a bookcase, for the grandkids,” Spani said. “As I get my change, I look for new quarters.”

He has kept up his books all along.

“It’s been kind of interesting, really,” he said.

Bob Cook of Mill Creek bought five of each state in a “proof set.”

“My grandchildren will get them,” Cook said. “Proof sets are made with special dies.”

In addition to “P” and “D” mint quarters made for circulation, proof coins are produced with “S” mint marks.

Forget about those.

The good thing about the state quarter program is that I took $130 to the bank when I sorted out all the coins I didn’t need to keep.

I’ll let Rich Coonradt, owner of Odyssey Coins and Collectibles in Everett, confirm some bad news.

It will be generations hence when state quarters found in our pockets are worth more than 25 cents.

“The circulated coins are basically worth face value,” Coonradt said. “In my opinion, our grandchildren’s grandchildren might have something.”

Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com.