Photo: US Mint
When you hear about someone finding a coin that is worth way more than face value, you probably assume it is some really old penny or an uncirculated quarter, but that's not always the case. Some newer coins can be pretty valuable, including very recently released quarters that you could have in your pocket or purse right now.
Up until a few weeks ago, the United States Mint was releasing coins as part of its 2023 American Women Quarter Program. The quarters honor five amazing women: Bessie Coleman, the first African American and first Native American woman to be a licensed pilot, indigenous Hawaiian composer Edith Kanaka'ole, Mexican-American journalist and activist Jovita Idar, Maria Tallchief, America's first prima ballerina, and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
While the coins themselves are collectible because of how detailed and unique they are, some of them are worth much more than 25 cents thanks to errors on them. One coin expert explained what to look for. On the Maria Tallchief quarter, see if there is a little chip in the feather in her hair that makes it look like there are two feathers there. If you have a quarter with that, it's now worth 16 times its value - $4. On the Bessie Coleman quarter, if you notice a weird blob on the wing of the plane, it's worth $20. If you see a crack going across Jovita Idar's shirt on her quarter, that one is going for 26 bucks. Meanwhile, if you have the Edith Kanaka'ole quarter, you'll see that her name is shown on the back, but if the name comes through and shows on the Washington side, that coin is worth up to a whopping $160.
So what should you do if you notice one of the errors on your 2023 quarter? Lots of people are selling theirs on eBay but you can also try going with a Facebook group for coin collectors. Another option is to just save it - it will only increase in value as the years go by.