1917-S Type 1

The 1917-S Type 1 Standing Liberty quarter is San Francisco's only Type 1 issue and the scarcer of the two branch-mint Type 1 varieties to source in high grade. San Francisco struck 1,952,000 pieces before the Mint switched to Type 2 dies, a figure modestly higher than the Denver Type 1 but spread across a similarly compressed production window. Because the Type 1 design was retired partway through 1917, there is no second chance at an S-mint Type 1, which gives this coin a permanent role in any Standing Liberty set focused on the original design. Survivors are typically encountered in Fine through XF condition, with Mint State coins thinning considerably as grades climb. The combination of finite supply and branch-mint striking quirks makes Full Head examples in MS65 and above genuinely difficult to acquire.

Identification of the Type 1 design on the San Francisco strike follows the same visual cues as Philadelphia and Denver: Liberty's right breast is uncovered, the shield is raised in her left arm, and the reverse eagle flies low with thirteen stars distributed along the perimeter and none below the bird. The S mintmark sits above and to the left of the date on the obverse, where it can be checked for serif shape, alignment, and depth against authenticated references. Specifications match the rest of the series at 6.25 grams, 24.3 millimeters in diameter, 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper, with a reeded edge. Authentication should include scrutiny of the mintmark area for any signs of an added S, since the value spread between Philadelphia and San Francisco Type 1 quarters is wide enough to motivate tampering. Magnification can reveal tooling marks, irregular spacing between mintmark and date, or differences in metal flow around the punch.

Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) population reports show the 1917-S Type 1 dropping off sharply above MS64, with Full Head MS66 examples appearing only occasionally at major auctions. Heritage Auctions and Stack's Bowers records document substantial premiums when an attractive Mint State San Francisco Type 1 surfaces. Collectors generally treat this coin as the second-hardest Type 1 to acquire in high grade after the 1916 itself. For background on the 1917 design transition and San Francisco's place across the run, see our Standing Liberty Quarter series history.