POPULATION ONLY 25 for NGC First Releases ms68's and likely CAPPED NOW because the window for submissions has long been closed now for First Releases.


RARE FIRST RELEASE!!! CONSIDER POP REPORTS ON FIRST RELEASES AS OPPOSED TO NON-FIRST RELEASES FOR FUTURE RESALE VALUE

There are NO 69s in First Releases or First Days, thus making a 68 grade the highest grade amongst First Days and First Releases.  Furthermore, THERE ARE no 68s for Ngc First Day July 4 quarters 

In addition, the ngc population reports have significantly slowed down recently, so obviously I don't know for certain, but we could be seeing numbers starting to taper off which of course less supply means higher prices.

Consider resale value and pop reports when deciding between a MS68 First Release and a non-First Release.   
NGC has graded no MS68 First Day of Issue July 4 quarters which makes these that much more sought after.   

The coin in the picture is the one you will receive

A 68 in itself is a rarity for the July 4 quarters and even much more rare are the NGC 68's First Releases.  NGC has graded 120 68's that were NON-FIRST RELEASES; however, they have only graded 25 MS68 First Releases and this is one of them- this info is as of 9/19/2026.   More importantly, the window has closed on First Releases submissions whereas for non-First Release it will of course never close.    


Incredible to think what would have happened if the US Mint had released these quarters online only as commemorative coins.  Based on what's shown up on ebay and what NGC has graded I think it is a fair assumption that far less than 25,000 of these July 4 quarters made it into collector's hands, but just my educated guess based on sheer observation.  If the US Mint had minted just 25,000 of these July 4 quarters then I think it is safe to say that they would be selling for well over $1000 right now in raw condition.  The coin is just too fascinating where you see "July 4" as opposed to a "D" or a "P".   Add to the mix the only US coin ever minted (at least I believe so) with the July 4 date on it which is the actual day of America's birth.  Yes, they minted 250,000 of these July 4 quarters, but in essence the argument could be made that this mainstream release would have been equivalent to the US Mint minting only 25,000 and putting them online as a commemorative coin.   In other words, the US Mint took what could easily be a commemorative coin and put it into mainstream circulation.    


In my opinion, these July 4 quarters have no where to go, but way up from here.   Here are just a few reasons:  


1) SUPPLY AND DEMAND BULK ebay SELLERS WITH QUANTITIES OF RAW JULY 4 QUARTERS ARE NOW DWINDLING DOWN  AND THEY LIKELY KEPT A CEILING ON PRICES, SO IF THEY CONTINUE TO DISSAPPEAR THIS WILL LIKELY HELP MOVE PRICES HIGHER.   

2) Question I put to AI, "which coins have the lowest mintage that were intended for circulation in the last 100 years and also include privy varieties?"

In the last 100 years, standard coins intended for general circulation (pocket change) typically had large mintages numbering in the millions or hundreds of thousands. However, special low-mintage modern regular-issue exceptions and unique circulating privy-marked varieties stand out, such as the 2026 "July 4th" Privy Mark Quarter (250,000 mintage) and historic regular key-dates like the 1932-D (436,000) and 1932-S (408,000) Washington Quarters. [1, 2]
Lowest Mintage Circulation Coins & Varieties (Past 100 Years)
  • 2026 "July 4th" Privy Mark Quarter (U.S.): Struck with a special patriotic privy mark and released directly into general pocket-change circulation with an extremely tight mintage of just 250,000 pieces (no mint mark). [1, 2]
  • 1932-S Washington Quarter (U.S.): The lowest regular circulation mintage for the standard 20th-century Washington series at 408,000 pieces. [1, 2]
  • 1932-D Washington Quarter (U.S.): Close behind the San Francisco issue, the Denver variant saw only 436,000 pieces struck for commerce. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
  • 1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent (U.S.): Struck 117 years ago with a business-strike mintage of 484,000, standing as the lowest-mintage traditional circulating wheat cent of the era. [1, 2]
  •  
3) A CALENDAR DATE ACTUALLY APPEARING ON A COIN AS OPPOSED TO A YEAR DATE.  THAT IN ITSELF IS AMAZING AND ACCORDING TO AI THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN US MINT HISTORY THAT A CALENDAR DATE HAS APPEARED ON A CIRCULATING COIN. MORE IMPORTANTLY, HOW FASCINATING TO SEE THE ACTUALY DAY OF OUR NATION'S BIRTH ON A COIN.  YES, WE'VE SEEN 1776 2026 MANY TIMES, BUT NEVER "JULY 4" ALONG WITH IT.     

Yes, the limited-edition 2026 Declaration of Independence quarters featuring the "July 4th" privy mark are the first U.S. circulating coins to display a specific month and calendar day (July 4) rather than just a standard four-digit calendar year or dual-range year. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
4)  NO MINT MARK
  • No Mint Mark: Unlike regular circulating quarters from Philadelphia or Denver, these special July 4th-marked coins lack a standard P or D mint mark. [1, 2]
5)  I would assume that these July 4 quarters are a dream for the tv coin shows.  I don't see why these won't be marketed like crazy for the upcoming Christmas season with pitches like,  "a coin like we never saw before."   I wouldn't doubt that the tv people buy these up in large quantities and drive prices through the roof, but once again just my opinion.        

6) I'm sure these will likely sell really well for every future July 4 and I'm sure the tv coin shows will capitalize on this.  Once again, with this scenario this would likely mean much higher prices.
   
7) You don't have to be a coin collector to understand how fascinating it is to see the July 4 privy mark along with no "P" or "D".   Furthermore, this historic July 4 event only comes around every 250 years making it virtually impossible to see anything in coming years identical to what we just saw.  This likely has to be a tv marketers/catalogue companies dream where everyday consumers at home, whether they are coin collectors or not, can relate to just how fascinating it is to see "July 4" on the coin.   These can also not only be pumped as investments, but also as a part of American history and once again I'm sure the tv marketers will likely capitalize on these unique selling points that don't exist for other coins.  

7) Likely only a small fraction will make it to UNC status with most of these July 4 quarters likely in circulation now.   What would these be selling for if the Mint had only produced 25,000?  Probably, well over a $1000; however, I wouldn't doubt that less than 25,000 actually made it to collectors hands, so in essence one could make the argument that there is indeed less than 25,000 of these July 4 quarters out there.  

8) Look at the NGC census for the West Point quarters.  I believe over 90,000 West Point quarters were graded and so far we only have around 5,000 July 4 quarters that were graded by NGC.    
The 2026 "July 4th" Privy Mark quarters are highly fascinating to collectors because they represent an extreme circulating rarity tied directly to America's 250th Semiquincentennial anniversary. [1, 2]
While the 2019 and 2020 West Point (W) quarters ignited the modern "coin-hunting" phenomenon, the July 4th quarters have taken the rarity and excitement to an entirely different level. [1, 2]
Rarity Comparison
  • West Point Quarters: The U.S. Mint released 2 million of each design, totaling 10 million in 2019 and 10 million in 2020 (20 million overall). [1]
  • July 4th Quarters: The total mintage is strictly capped at only 250,000 coins. [1, 2]
  • The Math: There are 80 times fewer July 4th quarters than total West Point quarters. This minuscule mintage makes the July 4th quarter one of the rarest modern circulating coins ever produced by the U.S. Mint. [1]
Why They Are So Fascinating
  • Circulation-Only Release: You cannot buy these coins directly from the U.S. Mint website. They were randomly mixed into regular quarter shipments distributed to banks. This creates an equal-opportunity, nationwide treasure hunt. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
  • The "Needle in a Haystack" Camouflage: The rare variant looks almost identical to the standard 2026 Declaration of Independence quarter. Both feature Thomas Jefferson and a ringing Liberty Bell. The only difference is a tiny "JULY 4th" privy mark to the left of Jefferson's portrait. Because the Mint is striking hundreds of millions of standard quarters, finding the privy version is incredibly difficult. [1, 2, 3]
  • Historical Significance: West Point quarters celebrated National Parks, but the July 4th quarter directly commemorates America's 250th birthday (1776–2026). This massive milestone attracts casual everyday hunters alongside serious collectors, driving up mainstream interest. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
High grade West Point quarters are selling in the hundreds of dollars, but yet regardless of grade West Point quarters as a whole are many more times common than these July 4 quarters in the NGC census.

In my opinion, based on the write up above these July 4 quarters are on the biggest gems to ever come out of the US MINT.