1961-D Washington Quarter : A Collector’s Guide

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes …..
 

In the 1962 fiscal year, which included the second half of 1961, the United States Mint reported production of over seven billion coins, evenly split between domestic and foreign. Despite working around the clock, the domestic demand for subsidiary coins exceeded output throughout the year, with the “penny” accounting for 73% of the total production. Even still, the Mint was unable to build up inventory. This caused leading banks nationwide to ration coins, a problem that would grow more acute in the coming years.

The Denver Mint produced 83,656,928 1961-D Washington Quarters, then a record for the Rocky Mountain facility. In the 1940s, the Philadelphia Mint typically led quarter production. It would occasionally top 100,000,000 mintages, but now the tide was shifting west, and the Denver Mint would produce record numbers of quarters yearly through to the end of the 90% silver era.

Collecting the 1961-D Washington Quarter

The 1961-D Washington Quarter, due to its age and 90% silver content, is unlikely to be found in circulation. Those that do turn up will either be from recently disposed of coin collections or are well-worn pieces that somehow escaped notice. However, unless the coin is in Mint State, it is of little interest as a numismatic collectible. The coin is, however, intrinsically more valuable than the twenty-five cents that are stamped on the coin. At the time of publication, silver spot was hovering around $31.51 an ounce, which makes the silver value of the 1961-D Washington Quarter $5.70.

Most Mint State coins from original rolls, which also survive in quantity, will exhibit some degree of tarnish and will usually also exhibit myriad scratches from coming into contact with other coins. Coins packaged in the Mint’s annual Uncirculated Coin Sets may fare better, but there is no guarantee. Raw, uncirculated examples sell for about $10 each, while certified examples sell for about $20 up to MS65 and $90 in MS66. After MS66, the coin’s price jumps due to scarcity and demand. However, we caution against overpaying, even at this level, as the certified population of MS67 coins has more than doubled in the past five years. At least two of the PCGS MS67+ coins were recent upgrades from MS67.

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1961-D Washington Quarter Market Data and Noteworthy Specimens

In 2014, PCGS conferred the MS67 grade to only four coins, none finer. At the time, competitive registry set collectors drove the price of this otherwise common silver quarter at Heritage Auction’s January FUN sale to $8,225. One coin was added to the census by the time a brilliant example sold for $7,637.50 at another Heritage sale.

Top Population: PCGS MS67+ (9, 4/2025), NGC MS67+ (9, 4/2025), and CAC MS67+ (0:1 stickered:graded, 4/2025).

• PCGS MS67+ CAC #42956409: As PCGS MS67 CAC #36612435. Heritage Auctions, January 9, 2020, Lot 3715 – $4,560. Pop 12 coin when offered. As PCGS MS67+ CAC #42956409. Heritage Auctions, May 1, 2025, Lot 3708 – View. Upgraded by 1/2 point. Mottled toning on the obverse. Colorful toning covers most of the reverse.
• PCGS MS67+ CAC #32749901: As PCGS MS67 #36759624. Heritage Auctions, April 25, 2019, Lot 3436 – $5,760. Pop nine coin when offered. As PCGS MS67+ CAC #32749901. Stack’s Bowers, August 15, 2019, Lot 5203 – $24,000. Upgraded by 1/2 point. Vivid gold, green, and orange toning covers the face and the left and bottom fields. Streaky toning covers most of the reverse.
• NGC MS67+ #4882988-013: Heritage Auctions, January 9, 2020, Lot 3714 – $3,120. All over red, blue, and green toning.
• PCGS MS67 #60149753: Del Loy Hansen; DLRC, January 2, 2025, Lot 792281 – $3,800 Starting Bid. Hansen novelty label.

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Design

Obverse:

John Flanagan’s Washington Quarter obverse design is based on neoclassical French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon’s 1785 Washington bust. However, Flanagan’s design differs from the original bust in several ways, such as a slightly different head shape and several curls of hair that are not on the bust; for comparison, the bust can be viewed at the late president’s Virginia estate, Mount Vernon. Under the left-facing bust’s chin is the motto IN GOD WE TRUST. The legend LIBERTY runs along the top of the coin’s field, and the date 1961 is below. In small letters, Flanagan’s initials JF can be found above the “1” in 1961 at the base of the bust.

Reverse:

For the reverse, Flanagan sculpted a heraldic eagle, which dominates the design, with its outstretched wings and left-facing head. The eagle is perched on a neat bundle of arrows with two intertwined olive branches below and the “S” mintmark centered between the two olive branch stems. The two primary inscriptions above the eagle are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and E PLURIBUS UNUM. Finally, at six o’clock on the design is the denomination written out as QUARTER DOLLAR.

Edge:

The edge of the 1961-D Washington Quarter is reeded.

Designer

John Flanagan was born in New Jersey in 1865 and lived in New York for most of his life. He began working with Augustus Saint-Gaudens in 1884 at the age of 20 and quickly became a well-known sculptor and medallic artist in his own right. Saint-Gaudens made introductions for Flanagan at the United States Mint. While the Washington quarter was his sole numismatic design, Flanagan designed numerous famous medals and sculptures, including the official medal of the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, the official Verdun medal gifted to France by the United States Government, and the 1924 bust of Saint-Gaudens. Flanagan was also a member of the American Numismatic Society (ANS).

Coin Specifications

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