DC & U.S. Territories Quarters (2009): Complete Set Guide

If you collected 50 State Quarters and wondered what came next, the answer arrived in 2009: six quarters honoring the District of Columbia and the five U.S. territories. They are easy to overlook next to the 50-state series, and for a collector that is part of the appeal. This is a short, plain guide to what the set includes, what each design shows, and what to realistically expect from it.

What is the DC and U.S. Territories quarter set?

The United States Mint announced the six reverse designs in December 2008 and released them at roughly two-month intervals through 2009. Every coin carries the standard Washington obverse and the year 2009; only the reverse changes. The six honorees are the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands. You can read the Mint's own announcement on usmint.gov.

Unlike the 50 State Quarters Program, this was a single-year program. That makes it a compact, finishable set, which is exactly why it appeals to newer collectors and to anyone who wants to complete the modern quarter story without a decade-long hunt.

The six designs, in release order

District of Columbia

Duke Ellington seated at a piano, with the inscriptions DUKE ELLINGTON and JUSTICE FOR ALL, the District's motto. It is the only coin in the set built around a person.

Puerto Rico

A sentry box in Old San Juan overlooking the sea, with a hibiscus and the inscription Isla del Encanto (Island of Enchantment).

Guam

An outline of the island, a latte stone once used as building support in ancient Chamorro society, and a flying proa, a traditional native boat.

American Samoa

The ava bowl, whisk and staff used in special Samoan ceremonies, with the territory's motto, SAMOA MUAMUA LE ATUA (Samoa, God is First).

U.S. Virgin Islands

The territory's three major islands with a Banana Quit, a Yellow Cedar and a Tyre Palm, plus the motto United in Pride and Hope.

Northern Mariana Islands

A latte stone on an island and a Carolinian canoe under sail, with two Fairy Terns overhead framed by a traditional head lei.

Is the set valuable?

Honestly, for ordinary circulated coins, no. These quarters were made in large numbers for circulation and collectors, so a well-worn 2009 territory quarter from pocket change is generally worth face value. Any premium comes from condition: uncirculated and graded examples, mint-state rolls, and the silver proof versions that appeared in Mint sets. If you want a sense of what a specific coin might bring, check the current price guides from PCGS or NGC rather than trusting any single listing, and keep expectations modest.

The better reason to collect the set is completeness and design variety. Few modern series pack six distinct cultural stories into one year.

P or D? Building the set

Each design was struck at both the Philadelphia (P) and Denver (D) mints, so a full collection is 12 coins, not six. Many collectors start with one mint mark and add the other later. At USSQ you can browse the U.S. Territory Quarters category for single coins and rolls from both mints, including the 2009-P Guam quarter and the 2009-P Puerto Rico quarter.

Single coins or rolls?

Rolls make sense if you want to search for the best-struck pieces yourself or plan to give sets as gifts. Single coins suit anyone who wants one clean example per design. Whichever route you choose, store the coins in holders or albums that keep fingers off the surfaces, because handling marks are the fastest way to turn an uncirculated coin into an ordinary one.

Where it fits in your collection

Think of this as the epilogue to the state series. If you are still working through the 50 states, our State Quarters category and our complete state quarters list are the place to start, and the territory set is a natural next step once you finish. A complete run is affordable, finishable, and a good way to show someone why quarter collecting is more than spare change.