Some Georgia quarters worth $10,000 due to minting defects

Defects sometimes increase the value of coins and such is the case with some quarters intended to represent the state of Georgia and its iconic peach.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Coin defects can sometimes increase their value and such is the case with some quarters intended to represent the state of Georgia and its iconic peach.

Starting in 1999, the U.S. Mint began issuing coins for each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Territories. Quarters were released for Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia and Connecticut in the inaugural year.

At least five types of errors in colors, markings and metal content have been found in Georgia quarters, according to the U.S. Coins Guide.

Collectors often pay top dollar, around $10,000, for Georgia quarters that were molded from an experimental mix of metals with a gold or green hue. The coin disks, known as planchets, were cast from a test alloy for the Sacagawea dollar.

In addition to the golden glow, here are some clues that a Georgia quarter might be exceptionally valuable as compared to a regular quarter:

The gold-tone Sacagawea dollar, with a copper core encased in manganese brass, was introduced with great fanfare in 2000, but never widely circulated. The coin honors a Native American woman who guided explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their journey through the United States.

“The U.S. Mint issued five new quarters each year in the order that the states ratified the Constitution or were admitted into the Union,” according to the U.S. Mint website.

The reverse side of each quarter features a design reflective of its respective state. The head depicts the portrait of the first president, George Washington, who has graced the quarter since 1932. Inscriptions used on the tail were switched to the head to make room for state designs, according to the U.S. Mint.