Get All Access for $5/mo

Quarters From One U.S. State and Year Could Be Worth $6,000. Are You a (Very Lucky) Accidental Collector? It's unclear if their creation was intentional, but they're worth a whole lot anyway.

By Amanda Breen Edited by Jessica Thomas

JGI/Jamie Grill | Getty Images

Check your couch cushions or wherever you keep your spare change — because you just might be the owner of a very specific quarter from 2004 that's worth thousands of dollars.

That's right: Wisconsin state quarters from the 50 State Quarters Program display a limited-edition design that increases in value if there are noticeable variations in that design, according to coin collectors, Fox Business reported.

Related: Rare Penny Sells for $1.1 Million. Do You Have One? | Entrepreneur

So what are you looking for, exactly? The front of the coin shows a cow, a peeled husk of corn and a sliced wheel of cheese along with inscriptions denoting the state, the year Wisconsin joined the union (1848) and Wisconsin's state motto — the word "Forward."

Additionally, the specific coins in question have a small design anomaly that features an extra leaf, pointing up or down on the corn husk. Collectors are divided over if the difference was intentional.

"The normal cause would be metal shavings accidentally lodged in the die, creating a gouge from the coin striking action," Littleton Coin Company wrote on its website. "However, because roughly equal quantities exist of the two varieties, some experts speculate that the extra leaves were deliberately created by someone at the Denver Mint — as the odds of such a similar event occurring on the same location on two different dies are astronomical."

Related: How the Official Coin Maker of 'Game of Thrones' and 'Lord of the Rings' Got Started

One of the 2004 Wisconsin quarters with an additional "low leaf" was auctioned for a record $6,000 in January 2020; one with an extra "high leaf" was auctioned for a record $2,530 in July 2006, per Fox Business.

Amanda Breen

Entrepreneur Staff

Senior Features Writer

Amanda Breen is a senior features writer at Entrepreneur.com. She is a graduate of Barnard College and received an MFA in writing at Columbia University, where she was a news fellow for the School of the Arts.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

The Side Hustle He Started in His College Apartment Turned Into a $70,000-a-Month Income Stream — Then Earned Nearly $2 Million Last Year

Kyle Morrand and his college roommates loved playing retro video games — and the pastime would help launch his career.

Business News

A Former Corporate Lawyer Now Makes Six Figures on YouTube — Here's How She Does It

Here are the secrets to starting and growing a successful YouTube channel, according to a YouTuber with millions of subscribers.

Growing a Business

How to Determine The Ideal Length of Your Marketing Emails Your Customers Will Actually Read

Wondering how long your marketing emails should be? Here's what consumers say — so you can send them exactly what they like.

Business News

New Southwest Airlines Major Investor Wants to Force Out CEO, Slams Company's 'Stubborn Unwillingness to Evolve'

Elliot Investment Management announced a $1.9 billion stake in the Dallas-based Southwest Airlines on Monday and is urging shareholders to vote for new leadership.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.