Editing Quarter (United States coin) (section)

==Designs before 1932==

The choice of a quarter-dollar as a denomination, as opposed to the {{frac|5}} or the 20-cent piece that is more common elsewhere, originated with the practice of dividing [[Spanish milled dollar]]s into eight wedge-shaped segments, which gave rise to the name "piece of eight" for that coin.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.moderncoinmart.com/info-vault/history-of-the-quarter.html|title=History of the Quarter – ModernCoinMart|website=ModernCoinMart (MCM)|language=en|access-date=July 18, 2019}}</ref> "[[Bit (money)|Two bits]]" (that is, two eighths of a piece of eight) is a common nickname for a quarter.

From 1796 the quarter was minted with 0.2377 oz. (6.739 g) of 89.24% fine silver (.2121 oz. [6.014 g] fine silver), revised to 90% fine silver from 1838 to 1964. It weighed 0.2357 oz. (6.682 g) from 1838, 0.2194 oz. (6.22 g) from 1853, and 0.2204 oz. (6.25 g) from 1873 to 1964. Six designs, five regular and one commemorative, have been issued until 1930:
*[[Draped Bust]] 1796–1807
**Draped Bust, Small Eagle 1796<ref>{{cite web |url=http://coinsite.com/1796-quarter-dollar-draped-bust-small-eagle/ |title=1796 Quarter Dollar Draped Bust Small Eagle |publisher=Coinsite.com |date=August 26, 2007 |access-date=April 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322031751/http://coinsite.com/1796-quarter-dollar-draped-bust-small-eagle/ |archive-date=March 22, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>
**Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle 1804–1807<ref>{{cite web |url=http://coinsite.com/1804-07-quarter-dollar-draped-bust-heraldic-eagle/ |title=1804–07 Quarter Dollar Draped Bust Heraldic Eagle |publisher=Coinsite.com |date=August 26, 2007 |access-date=April 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420172142/http://coinsite.com/1804-07-quarter-dollar-draped-bust-heraldic-eagle/ |archive-date=April 20, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Capped Bust]] 1815–1838
**Capped Bust (Large Size), With Motto 1815–1828<ref>{{cite web |url=http://coinsite.com/1815-28-quarter-dollar-capped-bust-large-size/ |title=1815–28 Quarter Dollar Capped Bust Large Size |publisher=Coinsite.com |date=August 26, 2007 |access-date=April 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420171829/http://coinsite.com/1815-28-quarter-dollar-capped-bust-large-size/ |archive-date=April 20, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>
**Capped Bust (Small Size), No Motto 1831–1838<ref>{{cite web |url=http://coinsite.com/1831-38-quarter-dollar-capped-bust-small-size/ |title=1831–38 Quarter Dollar Capped Bust Small Size |publisher=Coinsite.com |date=August 26, 2007 |access-date=April 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160517031457/http://coinsite.com/1831-38-quarter-dollar-capped-bust-small-size/ |archive-date=May 17, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[United States Seated Liberty coinage|Seated Liberty]] 1838–1891
**Seated Liberty, No Motto 1838–1865<ref>{{cite web |url=http://coinsite.com/1838-66-quarter-dollar-seated-liberty-without-motto/ |title=1838–66 Quarter Dollar Seated Liberty Without Motto |publisher=Coinsite.com |date=August 26, 2007 |access-date=April 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324012308/http://coinsite.com/1838-66-quarter-dollar-seated-liberty-without-motto/ |archive-date=March 24, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>
**Seated Liberty, With Motto 1866–1891<ref>{{cite web |url=http://coinsite.com/1866-91-quarter-dollar-seated-liberty-with-motto/ |title=1866–91 Quarter Dollar Seated Liberty With Motto |publisher=Coinsite.com |date=August 26, 2007 |access-date=April 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601061525/http://coinsite.com/1866-91-quarter-dollar-seated-liberty-with-motto/ |archive-date=June 1, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Barber coinage|Barber]] 1892–1916<ref>{{cite web |url=http://coinsite.com/1892-1916-quarter-dollar-barber/ |title=1892–1916 Quarter Dollar Barber |publisher=Coinsite.com |date=August 26, 2007 |access-date=April 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420171839/http://coinsite.com/1892-1916-quarter-dollar-barber/ |archive-date=April 20, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Isabella quarter]] commemorative 1893
*[[Standing Liberty quarter|Standing Liberty]] 1916–1930<ref>{{cite web |url=http://coinsite.com/1916-30-quarter-dollar-standing-liberty/ |title=1916–30 Quarter Dollar Standing Liberty |date=December 2013 |publisher=Coinsite.com |access-date=April 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420172212/http://coinsite.com/1916-30-quarter-dollar-standing-liberty/ |archive-date=April 20, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>
**Standing Liberty (Type 1) 1916–1917 (featured an image of Liberty with one of her breasts exposed<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/bare-breasted-liberty-quarter-768789 |title=The Bare-Breasted Standing Liberty Quarter of 1916 and 1917 |access-date=March 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301201520/https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/bare-breasted-liberty-quarter-768789 |archive-date=March 1, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>)
**Standing Liberty (Type 2 or Type 2a) 1917–1924
**Standing Liberty (Type 3 or Type 2b) 1925–1930

<gallery class="center">
File:1822_25C_PR_(over_50C).jpg|Capped Bust quarter, 1822
File:Seated_Liberty_Quarter_with_Arrows_and_Rays.jpg|Liberty Seated quarter with arrows and rays, 1853
File:1914_Barber_Quarter_NGC_AU58_Obverse.png|Barber quarter, 1914
File:Standing_Liberty_Quarter_Type1_1917S_Obverse.png|Type 1 Standing Liberty Quarter with bare breast, 1917
File:Standing_Liberty_Quarter_Type2_1924D_Obverse.png|Standing Liberty quarter, 1924
</gallery>