2005-P California Quarter
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 257,200,000 made
- Mintage
- 257,200,000
- 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 2005-P California 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 2005-P Kansas "In God We Rust" Quarter or the 2005-P Minnesota Doubled Die 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: 2005-P Kansas "In God We Rust" Quarter or 2005-P Minnesota Doubled Die Quarter
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 2005-P California Quarter rare?
- No. 257 million were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Is the 2005-P California 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 2005 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 2005-P California Quarter coins were made?
- 257,200,000.
What to check on your 2005-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 2005-D (263 million made).
- Look for the 2005-P Kansas "In God We Rust" Quarter.
- Look for the 2005-P Minnesota Doubled Die 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 2005-S California Quarter Proof (3,262,960 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 257 million made, the 2005-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 2005-P California
Philadelphia made 257,200,000 of the California quarter. Among the 5 designs of 2005 it was the second smallest Philadelphia run, between Minnesota (240 million) and Kansas (263 million).
Denver struck a similar number of the same design (263 million), so neither mint's version is much harder to find.
Across the whole program it sits 21st of 50 Philadelphia designs by mintage, where the scarcest is Iowa at 214 million.
How to recognize it
The California design
The naturalist John Muir stands gazing at Half Dome in Yosemite Valley while a California condor soars overhead. The inscriptions JOHN MUIR and YOSEMITE VALLEY label the scene, which honors a man who campaigned to protect Yosemite. Muir helped found the Sierra Club and is often called a father of the national park movement. The condor, once nearly extinct, has been the focus of a major recovery effort. California became the thirty-first state in 1850, the year shown on the quarter that opened the 2005 releases.
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 | 2005 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | "P" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 257,200,000 |
| 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 2005 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.