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1916 Standing Liberty quarter: the first-year key (and the fake 6)
The 1916 Standing Liberty quarter is the key: about 52,000, Philadelphia only, Type 1. The date sits high and wears off. Added-6 fakes on 1917s are a real problem. It is not a Walking Liberty half.
The 1916 Standing Liberty quarter is the first year of the series and the key. About 52,000 struck, Philadelphia only. Type 1 (exposed breast, no chainmail). Standing Liberty quarters.
The date sits on a high pedestal and wears off. A slick 1916 can look dateless. That is why people “find” 1916s that are 1917s with a too-good 6.
How we check it
We look at the 6, the rest of the date, the Type 1 details, and the whole coin — not a Facebook crop. Added mint marks are not the issue here (no 1916-D or 1916-S quarter in this design). Added 6s are. How shops check authenticity. Error-coin hype.
There is no 1922 Standing Liberty. There is no 1916-S Standing Liberty quarter.
What this is not
A Walking Liberty half is bigger and says HALF DOLLAR. Same year, different coin — heirs mix the names. A 1916 Walker exists too (and 1916-S Walker is its own pull). The picture here is the quarter: MacNeil’s Liberty with the shield, and the eagle reverse that says QUARTER DOLLAR.
What a shop pays
A real, identifiable 1916: a collector key, not junk silver. A slick maybe-1916: we will say if we cannot read it. A 1917 Type 1: common-plus, not a 1916. Don’t clean — never carve a date back on.
People also ask
Is every Type 1 a 1916? No. Type 1 also exists in early 1917, and those are not keys.
Did Denver make a 1916 quarter? Not this design. 1916 Barber quarters exist from other mints. Look at the picture first. Barber coins.
Is 52,000 a typo? No. That is why it is the key.