Of all the Walt Disney World pressed quarter sets out there, the 1996 Walt Disney World 25th Anniversary set of pressed clad quarters or the very scarce pre-1965 pressed silver quarters are hands-down my favorites. That said, it's also one of the trickiest for collectors looking to collect all the variations. In my opinion, the star of the show is the iconic Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey design. It's undated and was found across the WDW parks. Ten known variations have been documented. (I think I've pictures of them above, but to the untrained eye, mine :-), they all look pretty much identical.)
To help identify them, I've borrowed detailed descriptions from my friends over at PressCoins.com (the go-to resource for Walt Disney World pressed coin enthusiasts). They've cataloged these variations meticulously. I have listed the Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey / Mickey Sorcerer variations below by Type:
Location: Epcot, Disney Traders #2 (Showcase Plaza East) Description: 25th Anniversary Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey Mouse (Type T1 - Open Stars, partially filled 25, open mouth with tongue, five o'clock star under 5, first left star touches rope. NOTE: 9 locations and 10 variations of this design have been identified. No known list indicating which variation came from which location. Design shown is variation T1.) Position: 1 Coin Type: Quarter Orientation: V Availability: Retired Variation: 25th Anniversary Sorcerer Mickey Catalog Number: 1996-09
Location: Magic Kingdom, Fantasy Faire Shop #2 Description: 25th Anniversary Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey Mouse (Type T2 - Open Stars, partially filled 25, open mouth with tongue at bottom of mouth, five o'clock star over 5, first left star touches rope. NOTE: 9 locations and 10 variations of this design have been identified. No known list indicating which variation came from which location. Design shown is variation T2.) Position: 1 Coin Type: Quarter Orientation: V Availability: Retired Variation: 25th Anniversary Sorcerer Mickey Catalog Number: 1996-12
Location: Magic Kingdom, Frontierland Shootin' Arcade Description: 25th Anniversary Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey Mouse (Type T2.5 - Open Stars, partially filled 25, mouth nearly closed with tongue in center, five o'clock star over 5, first left star does not touch rope. NOTE: 9 locations and 10 variations of this design have been identified. No known list indicating which variation came from which location. Design shown is variation T2.5.) Position: 1 Coin Type: Quarter Orientation: V Availability: Retired Variation: 25th Anniversary Sorcerer Mickey Catalog Number: 1996-13
Location: Magic Kingdom, Disneyana Collectibles Description: 25th Anniversary Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey Mouse (Type T3 - Open Stars, partially filled 25, mouth nearly closed with no tongue, five o'clock star over 5, first left star touches rope. NOTE: 9 locations and 10 variations of this design have been identified. No known list indicating which variation came from which location. Design shown is variation T3.) Position: 3 Coin Type: Quarter Orientation: V Availability: Retired Variation: 25th Anniversary Sorcerer Mickey Catalog Number: 1996-14
Location: Magic Kingdom, Emporium #3 Description: 25th Anniversary Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey Mouse (Type T4 - Open Stars, filled 25, open mouth with slight tongue at back of mouth, five o'clock star over 5, first left star touches rope. NOTE: 9 locations and 10 variations of this design have been identified. No known list indicating which variation came from which location. Design shown is variation T4.) Position: 1 Coin Type: Quarter Orientation: V Availability: Retired Variation: 25th Anniversary Sorcerer Mickey Catalog Number: 1996-15
Location: Magic Kingdom, Mickey's Star Traders Description: 25th Anniversary Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey Mouse (Type T5 - Open Stars, filled 25, open mouth with tongue at bottom of mouth, five o'clock star over 5, first left star touches rope. NOTE: 9 locations and 10 variations of this design have been identified. No known list indicating which variation came from which location. Design shown is variation T5.) Position: 1 Coin Type: Quarter Orientation: V Availability: Retired Variation: 25th Anniversary Sorcerer Mickey Catalog Number: 1996-16
Location: Magic Kingdom, Tomorrowland Light & Power Co. Description: 25th Anniversary Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey Mouse (Type T6 - Filled Stars, slightly filled 25, mouth is nearly closed, tongue is a slight thin line, five o'clock star over 5, first left star does not touch rope. NOTE: 9 locations and 10 variations of this design have been identified. No known list indicating which variation came from which location. Design shown is variation T6.) Position: 1 Coin Type: Quarter Orientation: V Availability: Retired Variation: 25th Anniversary Sorcerer Mickey Catalog Number: 1996-17
Location: Magic Kingdom, Mickey's Gift Station #2 Description: 25th Anniversary Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey Mouse (Type T7 - Filled Stars, partially filled 25, open mouth with no tongue, five o'clock star over 5, first left star does not touch rope. NOTE: 9 locations and 10 variations of this design have been identified. No known list indicating which variation came from which location. Design shown is variation T7.) Position: 1 Coin Type: Quarter Orientation: V Availability: Retired Variation: 25th Anniversary Sorcerer Mickey Catalog Number: 1996-18
Location: MGM Studios, Mickey's of Hollywood #2 Description: 25th Anniversary Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey Mouse (Type T8 - Filled Stars, filled 25, serif of 2 makes a nearly closed loop, open mouth with slight tongue at bottom of mouth, five o'clock star over 5, first left star touches rope. NOTE: 9 locations and 10 variations of this design have been identified. No known list indicating which variation came from which location. Design shown is variation T8.) Position: 1 Coin Type: Quarter Orientation: V Availability: Retired Variation: 25th Anniversary Sorcerer Mickey Catalog Number: 1996-19
Location: Place Unknown, Location Unknown Description: 25th Anniversary Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey Mouse (Type T9 - Filled Stars, filled 25, serif of 2 not closing loop, mouth is nearly closed with no tongue, five o'clock star over 5, first left star barely touches rope. NOTE: 9 locations and 10 variations of this design have been identified. No known list indicating which variation came from which location. Design shown is variation T9.) Position: 1 Coin Type: Quarter Orientation: V Availability: Retired Variation: 25th Anniversary Sorcerer Mickey Catalog Number: 1996-26
