1870 United States 1/4 Dollar Value
A 1870 United States 1/4 Dollar is worth roughly $22.31 to $241 depending on its condition, with a hard melt-value floor of $22.31 as of 2026-06-01 Certified examples in top grades can run far higher.
Public domain image (struck or printed before 1926). Click to enlarge.
Melt estimated at the US 0.900 gold standard.
1870 United States 1/4 Dollar value by grade
| Grade | Estimated value |
|---|---|
| Melt value floor(metal content, 2026-06-01) | $22.31 |
| Good (G-4) | $22.31 to $26.77 |
| Very Good (VG-8) | $22.31 to $27.58 |
| Fine (F-12) | $22.31 to $28.92 |
| Very Fine (VF-20) | $22.31 to $30.79 |
| Extremely Fine (XF-40) | $24.65 to $34.81 |
| About Uncirculated (AU-50) | $30.34 to $42.84 |
| Mint State (MS-60) | $41.72 to $58.90 |
| Choice Unc (MS-63) | $66.38 to $93.71 |
| Gem Unc (MS-65) | $171 to $241 |
Estimated retail range, updated 2026-06-13. Estimates are modeled from mintage rarity and metal content, not auction records. Actual sale prices vary with certification, eye appeal and market timing.
How much is a 1870 United States 1/4 Dollar worth today?
A 1870 United States 1/4 Dollar that spent decades in circulation is worth about $22.31 today. One that never circulated at all can bring up to $241. The honest answer for most inherited or pocket-found examples sits in the lower half of the table.
1870 United States 1/4 Dollar specifications
- Series
- United States Coinage
- Year
- 1870
- Mint mark
- None (Philadelphia)
- Mintage
- Not recorded
- Composition
- Gold
- Weight
- 0.23 g
- Diameter
- 10 mm
- Gold content
- 0.00666 troy oz
Why this coin has no mint mark
The 1870 United States 1/4 Dollar was struck at the Philadelphia Mint, which used no mint mark in this era. If you find no letter where branch-mint coins carry one (check the usual position for this series), you are holding a Philadelphia issue.
What collectors pay for in a 1870 United States 1/4 Dollar
Documented examples of the 1870 United States 1/4 Dollar in our reference database anchor what we know about this issue. Mintage records are incomplete, so collector demand and surviving population drive its market.
Each 1870 United States 1/4 Dollar holds 0.0067 troy ounces of gold, worth $22.31 at current spot prices. Gold content dominates the value of common dates and underwrites every numismatic premium above it.
Few series carry the following that supports the 1870 United States 1/4 Dollar. Documented United States coin types preserved in museum collections, with measured specifications for each date, denomination and mint. A coin that thousands of collectors are actively assembling into sets never lacks for a market.
1870 United States 1/4 Dollar inscriptions & design
Obverse
************* (date)
Liberty seated
Reverse
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; QUAR. DOL.
eagle, wings spread, shield on breast, motto on scroll above
Measured 1870 United States 1/4 Dollar specimens
12 physically measured 1870 United States 1/4 Dollar examples in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the 0.23 g, 10 mm minting standard.
| Specimen | Weight | Diameter | Die axis | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 United States 1/4 Dollar #1 | 0.16 g | 9 mm | - | Burnie.70, Breen-Gillio.713 |
| 1870 United States 1/4 Dollar #2 | 0.2 g | 10 mm | - | Burnie.53, Breen-Gillio.835 |
| 1870 United States 1/4 Dollar #3 | 0.18 g | 9 mm | - | Burnie.55, Breen-Gillio.789 |
| 1870 United States 1/4 Dollar #4 | 0.3 g | 10 mm | - | Burnie.56, Breen-Gillio.755 |
| 1870 United States 1/4 Dollar #5 | 0.23 g | 10 mm | - | Burnie.56, Breen-Gillio.763 |
| 1870 United States 1/4 Dollar #6 | 0.32 g | 10 mm | - | Burnie.56, Breen-Gillio.759 |
| 1870 United States 1/4 Dollar #7 | 0.23 g | 10 mm | - | Burnie.57a, Breen-Gillio.762 |
| 1870 United States 1/4 Dollar #8 | 0.21 g | 10 mm | - | Burnie.57, Breen-Gillio.762 |
| 1870 United States 1/4 Dollar #9 | 0.27 g | 10 mm | - | Burnie.44, Breen-Gillio.867 |
| 1870 United States 1/4 Dollar #10 | 0.26 g | 10 mm | - | Burnie.54, Breen-Gillio.789 |
| 1870 United States 1/4 Dollar #11 | 0.24 g | 10 mm | - | Breen-Gillio.835 |
| 1870 United States 1/4 Dollar #12 | - | - | - | - |
Specifications compiled from documented museum specimens. See our data & methodology page.
Summary: the 1870 United States 1/4 Dollar is valued between $22.31 and $241 as of 2026-06-13. Estimates combine mintage rarity, key-date status and metal content; they are editorial guidance, not an offer to buy.