1917 Type 2 Standing Liberty Quarter

The Type 2 Standing Liberty quarter is the modified version of Hermon MacNeil's design, covering Liberty's previously bare chest with chain mail armor and adding three stars beneath the eagle on the reverse. It became the standard design for the remainder of the series' run through 1930.

Type collectors typically want one Type 2 example to complement a Type 1 coin in a type set, and the subtype also anchors the many date-and-mintmark varieties collected within the Standing Liberty series, including several notable key dates.

After the original 1916-1917 design drew attention for depicting Liberty's bare breast, the Mint revised the design in mid-1917, reportedly to address public sensitivities, adding a covering of chain mail across her chest. The reverse was also altered, moving three stars to beneath the eagle to fill space and, according to some accounts, to mark the design change.

The Type 2 design continued largely unchanged (aside from the 1925 addition of a recessed date to reduce wear-related date loss) through the end of the series in 1930, after which the Washington quarter took its place beginning in 1932.

The obverse still shows Liberty standing in a gateway with a shield and olive branch, but her chest is now covered by chain mail armor rather than being bare. The reverse depicts an eagle in flight with three additional stars positioned beneath it, distinguishing it from the Type 1 reverse.

Beginning in 1925, the date was recessed into a pedestal to protect it from wearing away, a feature absent on earlier Type 2 coins from 1917-1924. Mintmarks appear on the obverse to the left of the date. Well-struck examples showing full detail in Liberty's head are designated Full Head and are more highly valued.

Common dates in circulated grades are widely available and affordable, making the Type 2 design accessible for type collectors, while several dates within the Type 2 run (such as certain San Francisco and Denver issues) are recognized key or semi-key dates commanding much higher prices. Full Head examples across nearly all dates bring significant premiums due to the series' frequent weak striking.

Overall demand is driven by the series' popularity for date sets, its aesthetic appeal, and the meaningful condition rarity created by soft strikes on Liberty's head, which makes sharply struck coins scarce relative to total surviving populations.