Washington Quarter Overview
This classic American coin, with its iconic and attractive design, is a great series that anyone can collect.
The Washington quarter began originally as a way to honor the first president of the United States, George Washington. It was first struck in 1932, the bicentennial of Washington’s birth, when the Great Depression made the creation of new coins somewhat impractical.
Despite its conception as a special edition coin, the Washington quarter continued to be struck until 1998, when the Washington State quarter series was introduced, which made use of a slightly modified version the Washington quarter’s obverse design.
The designer of the Washington quarter was John Flanagan. The obverse shows a side portrait of Washington with the legend “LIBERTY” on the upper rim, the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST” in the left field, and the year of mintage at the bottom.
Flanagan’s reverse design depicts a perched eagle with wings spread. Below the eagle is an olive branch and the year of mintage, and at the top of the face are the legends “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “E PLURIBUS UNUM.”
The Washington quarter was struck in two different compositions. Quarters minted prior to 1965 have a silver composition containing 90% silver and 10% copper.
Those minted in 1965 and later have a clad composition of 91.67% copper and 8.33% nickel. The new composition was a response to rising silver prices that made a silver quarter prohibitively expensive.
History of the 1961 Washington Quarter
While quarters were only struck at two mints in 1961, Philadelphia and Denver, well over 100 million specimens were struck.
Denver pulled most of the weight and was alone responsible for 93,656,928 quarters this year. Philadelphia produced a comparatively modest 40,064,244.
Quarters from both locations are readily available through grades up to MS-66. However, Philadelphia issues tend to display contact markings.
Few major varieties for this issue are known, but there are some repunched mint mark varieties sought by collectors.
Interestingly, 1961 is one of the rarest years for the Type-B Reverse quarters. These were a set of business strike quarters minted from 1956-1964 that were struck on the reverse with a proof-style die. For those looking to complete a Type-B Reverse quarter set, a 1961 specimen is likely to prove difficult to acquire.
Grading the Washington Quarter
One of the most important factors for valuing a coin is its grade or condition. The grade tells how worn a coin has been. For a Washington quarter, the crucial areas to examine for determining grade are the details of the obverse portrait, the lettering, and the eagle’s breast. Use these descriptions to estimate the grade of your coin.
Good: Washington’s portrait is almost completely worn down and flattened, and only the major details (eye, nose, mouth, ponytail) remain visible. The design elements are smooth, and the lettering has begun to blend into the rim.
Fine: Much of the portrait shows clear wear, and and the fine details are almost lost. Some texture in the hair and contours on the face may be visible.
Extremely Fine: The coin is starting to appear worn, but most of the details are still intact. The hair has texture, and the contours on the face and neck are distinguishable. The eagle’s breast shows feather detail.
Uncirculated: Virtually no evidence of circulation or wear is present. The fine details of the hair and the face are clear and sharp, and the luster of the coin is bright and shiny or of a natural tone. The coin looks new.
Valuing the 1961 Washington Quarter
This issue is still very common, even in pocket change, so the value is generally low unless the specimen is a desirable variety or is in exceptional condition.
The minimum value for this coin is its melt value, or what the silver content is worth to a precious metals dealer. The current approximate melt value a 1961 Washington quarter is $2.79.
The value for this coin does not alter based on mint mark except in very high grades. The mint mark will appear above the denomination on the reverse. A “D” signifies Denver, and the absence of a mark signifies Philadelphia.
Good-4 to Extremely Fine-40 grade specimens are valued at $4.15. This is the average grade range for most examples. The value rises to $4.97 in About Uncirculated-50, $6.07 in Uncirculated (MS-60), and $12 in Uncirculated (MS-65). Proof strikes may bring $9.13.