Value of 2003 Illinois State Quarter

2003 Illinois State Quarter History

The obverse of the 2003 Illinois State Quarter shows the standard Washington Quarter design with a few alterations. The Washington Quarter, that ran from 1932-1998, had the date on the obverse, as well as the word “Liberty.” This design was changed slightly with the introduction of the State Quarters, and later the Territory Quarters and National Park Quarters. The new design still shows Washington looking left, however the obverse text now reads “United States of America – Liberty – In God We Trust – Quarter Dollar.” The reverse of this coin depicts the figure of Abraham Lincoln standing above the outline of the state of Illinois. The state’s motto is “Land of Lincoln” since Lincoln grew up in Illinois. However, Lincoln was actually born in Kentucky, close to the boarder. Lincoln served as the 16th President of the United States of America. The 2009 one cent coin also pays its dues to the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. The coin shows 21 stars to represent its place as the 21st state in the union. One detail of this coin that usually goes un-noticed is the outline of the farm and the skyline that lay behind the state outline. This illustration shows the unique diversity of the state of Illinois. Governor George Ryan launched a program for young school children to submit designs for the coin. Over 6,000 entries were recorded. A committee consisting of 14 people was assembled to narrow down the results. The committee came up with three main categories that showed the history, industry, and agriculture of the state. The Mint created five different designs and Governor Ryan later decided which design he liked the most. This was the 21st coin released in the Statehood Quarters program. The reverse text of the coin reads “Illinois 1818 – Land of Lincoln – 21st State Century – 2003 – E Pluribus Unum.” All of the Statehood Quarters were clad, meaning that they were seventy-five to eighty percent copper, and the rest was composed of nickel. The core of the coins were solid copper. These coins, however, were produced in silver for special Silver Proof Sets. The coins minted in included Illinois, Alabama, Maine, Missouri, and Arkansas
Errors on the 2003 Illinois State Quarter There are currently no known errors of this coin. If you ever run across anything that looks unusual with the Illinois State Quarter, please contact one of our experts to have the error verified, or send the coin to a professional grading company for their opinion. However, the average circulation State Quarter is only worth the face value of $0.25. These coins can be spent, saved, or taken to the bank.
Varieties on the 2003 Illinois State Quarter This coin, designed by John Flanagan and Donna Weaver was produced in a silver variety as part of proof sets. There were a total of 1,125,755 silver coins produced for this series. They are composed of 90% silver and 10% copper. The average price of the single silver coin ranges from $5 to $10, depending on the grade. The easy indicator to determine if your coin is silver is by the mint mark. The silver quarters will have an “S” mintmark, rather than a “P” or “D.” In addition to the silver quarters, late-night TV. began selling gold plated State Quarters in an attempt to con viewers into thinking that the coin would be worth a lot more. Unfortunately, the amount of gold that it takes to plate a quarter is very insignificant, and these gold plated quarters have no value in the collector community.