Finding a red quarter is a rare occurrence. So if you’ve ever gotten one back in your change, or found one in your pocket change, it probably piqued your interest.
Why was it painted red? Baby Boomers and Gen Xers may be familiar with these colorful coins.
Red quarters had a specific musical purpose beginning in the 1950s. However, their use continued to evolve throughout the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.
Reasons for red quarters
YouTuber Silver Dragons interviewed Harry Kraus, owner of Harry’s Coin Shop in Beaverton, Oregon, to get an official explanation on why quarters used to be painted red. Kraus explains the nostalgic reason for the red hue.
“Those coins are considered ‘house coins’,” he said. “Back when there were juke boxes, three plays for a quarter or ten cents a play, a bar owner or a restaurant owner typically did not own the jukebox. Some company placed it there, and the company then would pick up the quarters once a week or periodically that people put into play.”
Kraus goes on to explain that painting quarters red was a way to keep ambiance going while retaining funds.
“If there was no music playing, if no customer had put money in, oftentimes the owner would put in his or her own money, so that there would be music in the restaurant—but they wanted their quarter back,” he added. “So they would paint their coins red so that when the owner of the machine would come pick up the rest of the change, they would know to leave what’s called the house ‘house coin’, because that’s when the owner played the machine.”
Other uses for painted quarters
Jukeboxes were not the only thing painted quarters were used for. The same logic was also used in other businesses, including arcades and laundromats. In arcades, they were used to test games, spot broken machines, or given as “freebies,” per The Retroist. And laundromats used them for free washes.
While red was the most popular paint color, others were adopted, including blue and green. The goal was to be able to easily spot a “house coin” from a large pile.
Today, since red quarters hold nostalgic significance for many coin collectors, they’ve become valuable collector’s items. On eBay, painted red quarters are listed for anywhere from $36 to $700 to $1,500 and more. (Other factors, such as misprints, condition or the specific year they were minted, may drive up the price.)
While the U.S. Mint does not encourage coins to be painted, they are still legal tender.
Viewers respond
Many Boomers and Gen Xers shared their stories about seeing and finding red quarters in the video’s comments:
“A quarter had the purchasing power of over $2 in 1960, so I don’t blame them, I’d want my quarter back too! 🤷🏽♀️”
“My husband worked for a juke box company and I would paint a roll of quarters every couple of months with red nail polish for him to give to his customers so they could play music. What a wonderful memory you brought back for me.”
“I’ve seen them painted green also. It’s kind of cool to think about how these coins circulate around the country and throughout time.”
“Honestly the most surprising part to me is that the rental companies would be considerate enough to give back the house coin instead of just claiming it like you’d expect these days.”
“Harry is SPOT ON, no pun intended about why the quarters were painted. When I was a teenager working in a private club as a dishwasher we had a jukebox and the bartender used those for that exact reason.”
“Also laundry coins were painted red so apt managers could get them back as their laundry was free.”
“Back in 2005, I used to work for an arcade, and we used house coins when a customer claimed their money was eaten by the game cabinet. This also served as letting the owner know that particular machine was having sporadic problems, but not every time.”
