|
In celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of George Washington
in 1932, the U.S.
government held a public contest to choose a one-year coin
design to mark the event. The federal announcement read:
That, subject
to the approval of Congress, the coinage of the United States silver
half-dollars during the calendar year 1932 shall have a commemorative
character. That the obverse shall bear a head of Washington based on
the
Houdon bust at Mt. Vernon. That the design of the reverse is left
to the sculptor, with the proviso that is shall be national in conception.
The clear winner, in the opinion of the Commission of Fine Arts, was
Laura Gardin Fraser, the accomplished sculptor wife of James E. Fraser, whose
Buffalo nickel design had already won wide
acclaim.
Congressional approval was required for any new coin design, since current
designs at that time were all less than 25 years old (coin designs more than
25 years old needed only the consent of the Treasury Secretary to be
replaced). Ultimately, Congress decided that a new Washington
quarter should be issued to replace the
Standing Liberty Quarter, not a one year
commemorative half dollar, as the announcement above stated. The Act
of March 4, 1931 made it official.
|
 |
 |
|
Washington Quarter
Specifications |
Diameter: |
Weight: |
Minted: |
Composition: |
Designer |
Edge: |
24.3 mm |
6.25 g |
1932-1964 |
.100 Cu .900
Ag |
John Flanagan |
Reeded |
24.3 mm |
5.67 g |
1965-1974 |
.750 Cu .250
Ni (outer layer) |
John Flanagan |
Reeded |
24.3 mm |
5.67 g |
1975-1976 |
.750 Cu .250
Ni (outer layer) |
Flanagan/Ahr |
Reeded |
24.3 mm |
5.67 g |
1977-1998 |
750 Cu .250
Ni (outer layer) |
John Flanagan |
Reeded |
24.3 mm |
5.67 g |
1999-present |
750 Cu .250
Ni (outer layer) |
Flanagan/various |
Reeded |
|
Coin Photos courtesy of
Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc., Beverly Hills, CA. |
After Congress authorized the new quarter, the Treasury
Department initiated another contest. The Commission of Fine
Arts strongly recommended to Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon that Fraser's
design be adopted for the new quarter. Mellon refused, and proceeded
with the competition.
More than 100 entries were submitted on October 27, 1931, including Fraser's
design, modified to fit on a quarter. Also among the contestants was
John Flanagan, a former student of the famous sculptor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens.
Once again, the Commission favored the work of Fraser, but Secretary Mellon
preferred the design of Flanagan.
The Commission and Mellon argued back and forth for several months.
Before the issue was settled, Mellon left to become President Hoover's
ambassador to Great Britain. His successor, Ogden Mills, bluntly ended
the debate. In his April 11, 1932 letter to the Commission, Mills
wrote:
I have given
further consideration to the subject and am constrained to adhere to the
decision of my predecessor, and I select that model [Flanagan's]. You
will realize, of course, that the duty of making the selection falls upon
the Secretary of the Treasury and not upon the Commission of Fine Arts, the
function of that body being purely advisory.
The new Washington Quarter was officially released on August 1st, 1932, and
has been with us ever since. As for Laura Gardin Fraser, who many felt
was the most deserving in 1932, she belatedly received a great honor. In
1999, 33 years after her death, her Washington design was selected to grace
the the
commemorative half eagle observing the 200th anniversary of the
death of our first President.
Through many years of production, there are
really only two key dates in the Washington
Quarter series that excite collectors. The popular
State Quarter Program hasn't hurt their
status a bit in recent years, either. They are:
Key date Washington Quarters are not extreme
rarities, but a sizeable quantity of the common 1932 Philadelphia issues
have been altered to resemble coins from the Denver and San Francisco branch
mints. Before you purchase a
1932-D or
1932-S, insist on locating one that has been certified by one of the four
top grading
service companies: PCGS, NGC, IGC, or ANACS. If the coin is not
certified (often called "raw") by one of these services, then be sure the seller is someone of
good reputation, such as
Jakes Marketplace.
The left
hand side of each "Sales Box" is value trend data over a very long period of
time for a coin of that date in G-4 condition. The percent annual
increase is computed for comparative purposes. The coin pictured for
sale in the right hand side is not necessarily the same condition coin as that
represented in the value trend analysis on left hand side.
|
1932-D
Wash Quarter
Condition: G-4
|
|
|
1932-S
Wash Quarter
Condition: G-4
|
|
|
Value Trends
1950: $0.85
1980: $40.00
1995: $32.50
2002: $75.00
2007: $200
|
Value Trends
1950: $0.85
1980: $37.50
1995: $30.00
2002: $65.00
2007: $225
|
|
% Annual Increase
Since 1950 =
10.05%
|
% Annual Increase
Since 1950 =
10.28%
|
|
|
The Bicentennial of the United States was celebrated with
great fanfare on a national scale. In October 1973, the Treasury
Department announced plans to sponsor an open competition for bicentennial
themed reverse designs of the quarter, half dollar, and dollar. The
winners received $5000 each. The entry selected for the quarter
reverse was created by Jack L. Ahr. It featured a Colonial drummer, with a
victory torch encircled by 13 stars. Coins with Bicentennial reverses
were minted throughout 1975 and 1976. The obverses were unchanged,
with the exception of the 1776-1976 dual date. Nearly 1.7 billion of
the Bicentennial Quarters were released into general circulation. |
