1999-P Pennsylvania Quarter
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 349,000,000 made
- Mintage
- 349,000,000
- Metal
- Copper core clad in 75% copper / 25% nickel
- Weight
- 5.67 g
- Diameter
- 24.26 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1999-P Pennsylvania Quarter worth?
Worn examples are worth face value and can be spent. Keep it only if it looks uncirculated or shows a known variety. The exception is the 1999-P Delaware "Spitting Horse" Quarter, which collectors pay a large premium for.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A known variety for the date: 1999-P Delaware "Spitting Horse" Quarter
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1999-P Pennsylvania Quarter rare?
- Not by date: 349 million were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
- Is the 1999-P Pennsylvania Quarter silver?
- No. It's copper core clad in 75% copper / 25% nickel. Quarters dated 1964 and earlier are 90% silver.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1999 50 State Quarter?
- On the obverse, to the right of Washington's ponytail (P, D or S). On this coin the mark is P, for Philadelphia.
- How many 1999-P Pennsylvania Quarter coins were made?
- 349,000,000.
What to check on your 1999-P
- Make sure the mint mark really is a P. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1999-D (358 million made).
- Look for the 1999-P Delaware "Spitting Horse" Quarter.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1999-S Pennsylvania Quarter Proof (3,713,359 made) is the one to compare with.
- A face that's fully copper colored could be a missing clad layer error. Patchy discoloration is usually damage.
- Judge the grade under good light. State quarters are judged mainly on luster and contact marks. Look for die varieties and errors, which carry the real premiums in this series.
With 349 million made, the 1999-P still turns up in everyday change. Keep yours only if it looks uncirculated or shows a variety; otherwise it's worth face value.
The story of the 1999-P Pennsylvania
Philadelphia made 349,000,000 of the Pennsylvania quarter. That was the smallest Philadelphia run of the 5 designs issued in 1999, so it's the one from that year you're least likely to find in change.
Denver struck a similar number of the same design (358 million), so neither mint's version is much harder to find.
Across the whole program it sits 32nd of 50 Philadelphia designs by mintage, where the scarcest is Iowa at 214 million.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1999
The 50 State Quarters program began, with five new reverse designs each year in the order the states joined the Union.
How to recognize it
The Pennsylvania design
A robed female figure known as Commonwealth stands inside an outline of the state, with a keystone to her side and the motto VIRTUE LIBERTY INDEPENDENCE beside her. The figure is modeled on the statue that tops the dome of the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg. The keystone refers to the state's nickname, the Keystone State, a reminder of its central place among the original thirteen colonies. Pennsylvania ratified the Constitution in 1787, the date shown on the coin. This was the second State quarter of 1999.
The 50 State Quarter design
To make room for each state design, the obverse was rearranged: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and QUARTER DOLLAR all moved to the side with Washington's portrait. The reverse shows the state's design with its name, the year it joined the Union or ratified the Constitution, the year of issue and E PLURIBUS UNUM. The mint mark is to the right of Washington's ponytail.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | 50 State Quarter (1999–2008) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1999 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | "P" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 349,000,000 |
| Face value | 25¢ |
| Composition | Copper core clad in 75% copper / 25% nickel |
| Weight | 5.67 grams |
| Diameter | 24.26 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Designer | Obverse by John Flanagan, modified by William Cousins; reverses by various artists |
Other 1999 50 State Quarter issues
Mintage: 50 State quarters (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.