1999 Quarters: First Five States, Historical Dates and Value

In this article

Quick answer

The five 1999 State quarters are Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia and Connecticut, in that release order. An ordinary worn P or D example is copper-nickel clad and has a 25-cent face-value baseline. Statehood dates and New Jersey’s 1776 are normal design inscriptions, not the coins’ issue dates.

The PCGS guide checked October 26, 2026 lists 1999-P Pennsylvania regular strikes at $4 in MS63, $5 in MS65 and $12 in MS66; New Jersey’s P entry is $5 at MS65 and $16 at MS66. These are specific uncirculated references. Clad and 90% silver S Proofs are separate products.

Coin photos

1999-P State-quarter obverse: shared Washington portrait and relocated legends.

1999 Delaware reverse: Caesar Rodney on horseback; statehood year 1787.

1999 Pennsylvania reverse: Commonwealth figure and state outline.

1999 New Jersey reverse: river crossing; 1776 is a historical design date.

1999 Georgia reverse: peach, state outline and 1788 statehood inscription.

1999 Connecticut reverse: Charter Oak and the 1999 issue date.

Basics & coin story

The 50 State Quarters program began in 1999 and issued five state designs each year through 2008. Its order followed ratification of the Constitution or admission to the Union, rather than alphabetical order. The first five designs therefore form the program’s opening chapter.

Delaware depicts Caesar Rodney on horseback, Pennsylvania a standing Commonwealth figure, New Jersey Washington crossing the Delaware, Georgia a peach within the state outline, and Connecticut the Charter Oak. Each reverses the usual habit of identifying a coin only from its portrait: the shared Washington obverse cannot tell you which state design you have.

New Jersey’s historic crossing scene is distinct from the later 2021 Crossing the Delaware quarter. Similar subject matter does not make the two dates the same issue. The Wyoming guide illustrates a later State-quarter design, while this article remains a complete first-year checklist.

Identification at a glance
Feature	What to check
Denomination	25 cents
Ordinary construction	Copper-nickel outer layers over a pure copper core
Ordinary nominal weight / diameter	5.67 g / 24.26 mm
Edge	Reeded
Regular mint-mark location	Obverse beside Washington
Issue date	Read the modern year on the reverse; historical dates can also appear
Annual group	Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut
Regular issues	P: Philadelphia; D: Denver
Collector Proofs	S clad and S 90% silver, separate entries
Normal historical inscriptions	Statehood years; New Jersey crossing date 1776

Identification

Use the five-design checklist

1999 first-year State quarter checklist
State / statehood inscription	Reverse identification
Delaware / 1787	Caesar Rodney riding a horse; THE FIRST STATE
Pennsylvania / 1787	Commonwealth figure and state outline; VIRTUE LIBERTY INDEPENDENCE
New Jersey / 1787	Boat crossing the river; CROSSROADS OF THE REVOLUTION; 1776
Georgia / 1788	Peach and state outline; WISDOM JUSTICE MODERATION
Connecticut / 1788	Charter Oak tree

Find the actual 1999 issue year

The statehood year appears near the state name. New Jersey also includes 1776 for the crossing. Read the separate 1999 issue date before describing the coin as an eighteenth-century quarter or a wrong-date error.

Identify mint and metal before an error claim

P and D regular issues are clad; San Francisco made separate clad and silver Proofs. Gold-colored plating, copper-colored exposure or a line near an animal or tree cannot establish an experimental planchet or a valuable die feature. Such claims require the specific weight, edge and attribution evidence.

Condition & value

Amounts are in U.S. dollars. The listed PCGS grade examples were checked October 26, 2026. Ordinary face-value baselines and distinct collector products are separated below. They are not guaranteed purchase offers; current market conditions and selling costs can change the amount received.

Value comparisons: match the issue before using a price
Issue	Grade / condition	Value or reference	Basis	Important condition
Ordinary worn P or D	Circulated	25¢ face-value baseline	Denomination	Any of the five normal designs
1999-P Pennsylvania, regular	MS63	$4	PCGS retail guide	Uncirculated
1999-P Pennsylvania, regular	MS65	$5	PCGS retail guide	Correct design and grade
1999-P Pennsylvania, regular	MS66	$12	PCGS retail guide	Original surfaces
1999-P New Jersey, regular	MS66	$16	PCGS retail guide	Different design, separate entry
Other design / S Proof / authenticated error	Exact entry	Compare separately	Different issues	No universal 1999 price

An annual set can mean five designs, ten P/D coins or a collector Proof product. State which scope is being priced. A seller’s five-coin package or complete Proof set cannot supply a single-coin realized value without accounting for what was actually sold.

Named claims such as a Delaware spitting-horse feature or an unusual Connecticut die mark need more than a nickname in an online listing. The photographed ordinary coins are design examples and are not presented as error diagnostics. For an unusual-metal claim, retain edge photographs and a reliable weight before paying an error premium.

The standard clad specification does not include silver, and surface color alone is not a metal test. Proofs need the correct manufacture, alloy and contrast designation; ordinary P/D coins need an honest wear assessment. Compare completed sales of the same design, mint and condition, using the grading guide for general terminology.

Summary

Recognize the first five state designs and separate their historical inscriptions from the 1999 issue year. Ordinary P/D coins are clad; S Proofs and authenticated errors need their own evidence and comparisons.

FAQ

What are the five 1999 State quarters?

Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia and Connecticut, in that release order.

Why does a 1999 New Jersey quarter say 1776?

1776 is the historical river-crossing date depicted by the design. The statehood inscription is 1787 and the coin’s issue date is 1999.

Are 1999 quarters silver?

Ordinary P and D regular strikes are clad. Separate S 90% silver Proofs exist alongside S clad Proofs.

Does a gold-colored 1999 quarter prove an experimental planchet?

No. Plating, alteration and lighting can change apparent color. An unusual-planchet claim needs weight, edge and authentication evidence.

References

References and further reading

Sources and quoted guide evidence checked October 26, 2026. Guide estimates, historical sales, face value and metal-content calculations are identified separately.