Check Your Change – Michigan State Quarter Among the Most Rare

Remember the excitement that surrounded the 50 State Quarters program when it first launched more than 20 years ago?

Those quarters are no longer being minted and some have become quite rare - including the quarter honoring Michigan.

Why is the Michigan State Quarter So Rare?

What may surprise you is that the 50 state quarters were not issued in an equal number. Some states saw a large amount produced, or mintage. Others were quite small in comparison.

It's worth a reminder here we're talking about the Michigan quarter which was produced in 2004 as part of the 50 State Quarters program and featured an outline of the state rather than the 2018 quarter featuring Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore which was part of another state quarter program featuring national parks called American the Beautiful.

Michigan is among the lowest states in terms of mintage. Of the 50 states, Virginia saw the most quarters produced with nearly 1.6 billion coins minted. Michigan is in the bottom 10 of mintages - just 459 million coins.

The lowest state, however, was Oklahoma. Michigan, along with about 10 other states saw less than a half billion coins produced.

Being one of the top population states in the country that may be quite the surprise. However, mintages each year are largely based on a forecast of how many new coins will be needed to satisfy the demand for circulation rather than the popularity of a state or design.

That said, however, the Michigan quarter may be seen as a bit dull compared to other coins produced as part of the program.

What is a Michigan State Quarter Worth?

With a face value of, of course, 25 cents, a mint-condition Michigan state quarter may be worth much more to a collector. Current values hover around 40 cents to just over a buck. However, as the years pass, older coins are taken out of circulation, and the low original numbers produced of the Michigan coins, you may expect them to raise in value more than the state quarters that had more printed.

Perhaps asking for coins to begin a collection might be a good holiday gift to ask for or give. Here are some common toy trends from years past - some forgotten and some, like coins, worth a mint.