Although the Standing Liberty quarter issues of 1916 and early 1917 are usually grouped together as the "Type I" design, there are subtle differences between the first and second year issues in this category. These differences are mostly confined to the obverse, with the 1917 Type I coins displaying subtle changes to the olive branch, Liberty's hand, stars and a few other design elements. Overall, the finished product as represented by the 1917 Type I design is sharper and more refined than its 1916 counterpart. The reverse is basically unchanged, although the hub that the Mint created for the 1917 Type I issues is sharper with better overall definition.

With the aforementioned refinements, the 1917 Type I issues are far better produced and more sharply defined than their 1916 predecessors. This is particularly true of the Philadelphia Mint's 1917 Type I delivery, high grade survivors of which are generally regarded as the most sharply stuck and attractive Standing Liberty quarters of any issue.

The example to the left was sold by Stack's Bowers Galleries in the August 2016 Anaheim ANA Auction, where it realized $23,500.