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+ Full Head Identification Guide

The Full Head designation is the single most important premium driver on the 1917 Standing Liberty quarter. It is assigned by PCGS and NGC when Liberty's hair cords and cap are sharply and completely struck — a direct consequence of hub improvements made to the Type 1 obverse die before large-scale 1917 production began. Because the head was the highest-relief point on the design, spacing between the dies during striking determined whether the cords came up fully.

To identify Full Head status on a Type 1 coin, examine the area directly behind Liberty's eye under 10× magnification. You need a clear, distinct separation between the cord-like hair strands and the edge of her cap. The hairline along her forehead and cheek must be continuous and unblurred. PCGS notes that "a clear and distinct separation between Miss Liberty's hair cords and her cap" is the baseline requirement. Any merging or flatness disqualifies the coin.

J.H. Cline, the leading expert on this series, estimated that roughly 80% of Type 1 uncirculated Philadelphia coins qualify as Full Head — a rate far higher than the Type 2 issues that followed under rushed production. The FH designation transforms an ordinary circulated example worth $50 into a gem-grade trophy. Top auction records reach $32,900 for a PCGS MS67+FH CAC example sold by Heritage in January 2016.

The FS-801 doubled die reverse on the 1917-D Type 2 quarter is the flagship die variety of the entire 1917 issue. It arose when the hub used to sink the working die shifted slightly between hubbing impressions, causing the second impression to land offset from the first. The result is clear, mechanical doubling on multiple elements of the reverse design, making this a class-1 doubled die visible without sophisticated equipment.

Diagnostically, the doubling is strongest on the eagle's wing feathers, where parallel double lines are visible along the upper and lower wing edges, and on the E PLURIBUS UNUM motto, where each letter shows a secondary image offset to the south or southeast. The three stars below the eagle (a Type 2 reverse feature) may also display doubling along their inner points. A 5× to 10× loupe is sufficient to confirm this variety.

This variety is catalogued as FS-801 in CONECA's Fivaz-Stanton variety reference and commands genuine collector demand. Reported market values range from approximately $2,375 in circulated grades to $5,995 in higher uncirculated states. Because it appears on the relatively common 1917-D Type 2, raw examples exist but certification by PCGS or NGC with FS-801 attribution on the label is strongly recommended before sale to maximize realized price.

The FS-401 "Shish Kebab" is a colorfully named die variety found on a small number of 1917-S Type 1 quarters. The variety gets its nickname from a prominent die gouge — a tool mark accidentally introduced into the working die during the polishing or finishing process at the San Francisco Mint — that creates a vertical line running roughly through the body of the eagle on the reverse, resembling a skewer through a piece of food on a kebab.

Identifying this variety requires examining the reverse with a 5×–10× loupe. The die gouge appears as a straight, incuse scratch-like line running vertically through or near the eagle's body, distinct from the coin's design elements. Because the gouge is in the die itself, every coin struck from that die carries the mark, making this a consistent diagnostic rather than a random post-mint damage feature. The line will appear raised on the coin (the gouge creates a depression in the die, which transfers as a raised line on struck coins).

This variety is catalogued as FS-401 and is primarily pursued by advanced variety specialists building die-variety collections of the Standing Liberty series. Market values are modest compared to the FS-801 doubled die, with dealer pricing suggesting a premium of roughly $300–$600 above standard 1917-S Type 1 pricing. As a niche variety, raw examples often trade below their potential — certification and attribution can meaningfully increase realized prices from specialist buyers.

Off-center strikes occur when a planchet (blank coin disk) is not properly centered between the obverse and reverse dies at the moment of striking. The result is a coin where part of the design is missing and a crescent-shaped area of unstruck blank metal is visible at one or more edges. For the 1917 Standing Liberty quarter, which already carries inherent numismatic value as a 90% silver coin from a historically significant year, off-center errors command premiums above and beyond the silver content alone.

The value of an off-center strike scales directly with the degree of misalignment. Minor misalignments under 5% add only modest collector premium. Examples shifted 10–20% off-center — enough to show a substantial blank planchet while still retaining the full date and all critical design elements — command the strongest premiums. Collectors particularly value examples where the 1917 date remains fully visible despite the misalignment, as a dateless off-center example has significantly less appeal. Misalignments exceeding 50% are extremely rare and command premium pricing well above the ranges shown.

Off-center strikes on scarce pre-1920 silver coins attract a broader collector base than similar errors on common modern coinage, since the underlying coin already has collector demand. For 1917 quarters, significant misalignments (15%+) on authenticated examples can add $400–$700 to the coin's standard value. The error is diagnosed by the visible blank planchet rim and the shifted, incomplete design — never by damage or post-mint alteration, so purchasing PCGS- or NGC-certified error coins protects against misattribution.

The defining characteristic of 1917 quarter collecting is the mid-year design change that produced two distinct types within a single calendar year. Type 1, struck from the design first introduced in late 1916, shows Liberty's right breast exposed in a classical sculptural style. The design was controversial from the outset, and public pressure — along with sculptor Hermon A. MacNeil's own artistic evolution — led to a significant modification partway through 1917 production.

Type 2 covers Liberty's chest with a chain mail vest and makes additional changes to both the obverse (added drapery at Liberty's left side and a redesigned shield) and reverse (three stars moved from the rim to beneath the eagle, raising the eagle's position in its flight pose). The changes were extensive enough to require entirely new galvanos — not a simple re-engraving of existing dies. Both types were struck at all three mints (Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco) during 1917.

For collectors, the Type 1 commands a premium across all grades because it represents the short-lived original design — the only affordable way to own an example of the original bare-breast Liberty quarter, since the far rarer 1916 Philadelphia issue is financially out of reach for most collectors. The highest Type 1 auction record across all mints stands at $50,400 for a 1917-S Type 1 MS67+FH sold by Heritage. Branch-mint Type 1 examples (D and S) are scarcer than Philadelphia and command proportionally higher premiums in mint state grades.