Standing Liberty Quarters: NGC Full Head and the Three Main Formats

Standing Liberty types and the protected date

The series spans 1916–1930. The first type has no stars beneath the reverse eagle; the revised 1917 design places three stars there and changes Liberty’s clothing to include mail. Both types therefore occur in 1917.

From 1925, the date is recessed to provide better protection against wear. This gives collectors a useful three-part study: the initial design, the revised design with the earlier date treatment, and the later recessed-date version.

Use both sides to confirm the 1917 type. Do not infer it solely from how much of the date survives. A design feature and a wear observation should be recorded separately.

What NGC Full Head means

NGC’s FH criteria examine the visibility of the three leaves in Liberty’s hair, the completeness of the brow hairline and the ear indentation. These are targeted head details, not a declaration that every element of the coin is perfectly struck.

NGC does not require a Standing Liberty quarter to be Mint State for FH eligibility. Keep the assigned designation with the grade, and do not invent an MS-only rule when comparing certified examples.

The shield, Liberty’s body and the fields still deserve attention. A head designation can organize a specialized set while leaving meaningful differences in overall appearance between two coins carrying the same letters.

Mintmark and designer initial

D and S mintmarks appear on the obverse to the left of the date. The small M to the right is designer Hermon A. MacNeil’s initial. It does not identify a mint.

For a worn coin, request a clear view that includes the date and both adjacent areas. A tiny isolated letter crop can obscure its location and encourage a mistaken reading. Preserve the full obverse as the identity image.

A useful first collecting project

A three-format type set can teach the main changes without requiring every date and mint. An FH-focused set adds another constraint and should be described as such. Decide which project you are pursuing before comparing candidates.

The featured 1917 Type 2 NGC XF 40 coin illustrates the revised design in circulated condition. The caption does not claim FH for it. An image should demonstrate the feature actually present rather than acquire a designation from the article’s title.

If a listing advertises Full Head, match that claim to the holder and service record. If the description is only the seller’s opinion, keep it identified as an opinion until the evidence supports a firmer conclusion.