1917 Type 1

The 1917 Type 1 Standing Liberty quarter is the first full-production year of MacNeil's design and the most available expression of the original sculptural concept. Philadelphia struck 8,792,000 pieces before the design was modified mid-year, a figure 169 times the 1916 mintage and the reason this coin functions as the type collector's primary entry point. Because the Type 1 obverse and reverse were produced for only about five months across two calendar years, every Type 1 example carries a finite supply ceiling regardless of its individual mintage. The 1917 Philadelphia issue is the variety most often encountered in original Mint State condition, with bright satin luster and the bold central detail that made MacNeil's work an immediate departure from the Barber quarter it replaced. Hoards set aside by collectors who recognized the design change explain why Full Head examples survive in numbers the 1916 never matched.

Diagnostically, the Type 1 obverse leaves Liberty's right breast exposed, following the classical Beaux-Arts model MacNeil absorbed during his Paris and Rome training. The reverse shows the eagle in flight to the right with its wings level, set low in the field with seven stars to the left and six to the right along the perimeter. No stars appear below the eagle on Type 1, which is the fastest way to distinguish the two varieties from across a tray. Specifications are 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper, 6.25 grams, 24.3 millimeters, with a reeded edge. The "M" monogram sits below the shield on the obverse to the right of the date. Authentication on a 1917 Type 1 should also include checking the date for any retooling, since this issue is the host coin of choice for altered-date 1916 counterfeits and any sign of work near the final digit is a serious warning.

Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) populations are deep through MS64, and Full Head examples are available with patience through MS65. Heritage Auctions and Stack's Bowers archives show this date trading at modest premiums in circulated grades and rising sharply once Full Head designation enters the equation. For most collectors, the 1917 Type 1 Philadelphia is the coin that anchors a type set and demonstrates why MacNeil's original vision was so admired. Background on the 1917 design modification and the full thirteen-year run is covered in our Standing Liberty Quarter series history.