1935-S Washington Quarter : History & Value

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes …..
1935 marked the third 12 months of manufacturing for the Washington quarter. The coin design was launched in 1932 to honor the 2 hundredth anniversary of President and Common George Washington’s birthday. President Calvin Coolidge signed the authorizing laws in 1924, eight years earlier than the deliberate commemoration was to happen and simply eight years into the manufacturing of Hermon MacNeil’s Liberty Standing quarter design.

The intent of the laws was to make sure the nation hosted enough celebrations in 1932, the deceased president’s bicentennial 12 months.

Whereas the Washington quarter was initially meant to be a commemorative half greenback, the Nice Despair compelled the fee to shelve the concept. Because the Standing Liberty quarter was tough to strike and the dies wore out too shortly, there was little Mint pushback when Consultant Randolph Perkins (R-NJ7) launched a invoice to vary the Washington commemorative denomination from half to quarter greenback. This choice, nevertheless, got here after the Bicentennial Fee had already held a design competitors and chosen a design submitted by the well-known sculptor Laura Gardin Fraser.

The 1935-S Quarter Up Shut

In 1935, the United States Mint struck quarters in any respect three mints: the Philadelphia Mint struck 35,484,000 cash; the San Francisco Mint struck 5,660,000; and the Denver Mint struck 5,780,000, for a grand complete of 46,924,000 cash.

In these early years of manufacturing, the Mint adjusted the obverse design barely. Since Flanagan engraved the obverse motto IN GOD WE TRUST “too softly” on his fashions, the hubs wanted to be adjusted if the lettering had been to not put on off the dies too shortly. Experimenting with the font weight of the motto, the Mint ultimately settled on the heavy type seen on Washington quarters struck in 1936 and later. Nonetheless, when placing the 1935-S, mint employees employed dies minimize from the second transitional sort of 1935 hub. Whereas the lettering on these cash was nonetheless slim, the motto was “a lot sharper.”

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Market Information and Noteworthy Specimens

When this text was written, the spot value of silver was $25.08 per ounce – which implies that the 1935-S quarter at present has a soften worth of $4.53. This bullion worth is lower than the numismatic worth of even the coin’s lowest grades. Latest eBay gross sales present that the everyday Good instance sells for about $8-$10, whereas cash graded Very High-quality to Additional High-quality can deliver between $20 and $30. Costs soar for the 1935-S Washington quarter in Mint State, with uncertified examples promoting for $80 or extra.

For roughly the identical value, collectors can safe an authorized instance within the grade of MS63.

Some value guides revealed on-line recommend that MS65 examples can deliver as a lot as $200, whereas latest gross sales present that almost all quarters at this grade deliver between $130 and $150. Within the highest licensed grades, the 1935-S is cheaper than the 1935-D. Extra 1935-S quarters had been saved at excessive grade, reflecting that a number of latest gross sales of MS67+ quarters licensed by PCGS and NGC have been reported within the $1,500 to $2,000 vary. Throughout the identical interval, 1935-D quarters in the identical grade have traded palms for $4,000 and up.

By January 2011, PCGS had graded 20 cash in MS67 with none finer. By April 2024, the PCGS MS67 inhabitants now stands at 82, with 19 cash in MS67+. The PCGS MS67+ cash began to look in the summertime of 2016. Some, however not most, MS67+ cash are crossovers or upgrades.

In the summertime of 2024, PCGS broke the MS68 barrier by grading two cash at this stage. The primary coin that we are able to monitor was a PQ toner that upgraded from a not too long ago graded MS67+ CAC to MS68. The coin offered as an MS67+ CAC on October 31, 2023 for $5,137.88 earlier than the improve. After grading MS68, the coin was relisted on GreatCollections, the place it offered for $8,182.11. The second MS68 appeared at a Stack’s Bowers public sale in August 2024, the place it introduced a file $21,000. This coin options vivid firming alongside the left periphery of the obverse and reverse.

The NGC MS68 that we reported in March 2024 has apparently crossed to PCGS.

High Inhabitants: PCGS MS68 (2, 11/2024), NGC MS67+ (10, 4/2024), and CAC MS67 (33:0 stickered:graded, 4/2024).

• PCGS MS68 #48147550: As PCGS MS67+ CAC #47368773. GreatCollections, October 1, 2023, Lot 1442051 – $5,137.88. As PCGS MS68 #48147550. GreatCollections, July 7, 2024, Lot 1459366 – $8,182.11. Upgraded by one level. High pop, pop one when supplied. Majestic rainbow firming. PQ.
• PCGS MS68 CMQ #49794224: Stack’s Bowers, August 13, 2024, Lot 3113 – $21,000.
• PCGS MS67+ CAC #49554382: Heritage Auctions, June 16, 2024, Lot 7069 – $1,020. Obverse is evenly tarnished, with gold/rust/blue firming on the decrease proper obverse discipline. Reverse has vivid gold, magenta, and orange firming.
• PCGS MS67+ CAC #25014443: Stack’s Bowers, November 16, 2023, Lot 6126 – $2,400. Darkish firming across the periphery.
• PCGS MS67+ #34358638: Heritage Auctions, January 4, 2018, Lot 4519 – $3,480; “Charlie O’s Assortment,” Heritage Auctions, June 7, 2019, Lot 3712 – $3,000; Heritage Auctions, Might 8, 2022, Lot 7229 – $1,680. Principally good with speckles of black throughout the neck. Gentle remoted firming on the mouth and proper and left obverse periphery.
• NGC MS67+ #4485170-001: Stack’s Bowers, August 13, 2019, Lot 1292 – $1,310; GreatCollections, August 15, 2021, Lot 1017923 – View;  Heritage Auctions, January 25, 2022, Lot 27190 – $1,170. Scattered brown firming.
• PCGS MS67+ CAC #10285707: Legend Uncommon Coin Auctions, January 27, 2022, Lot 120 – $2,173.50.
• PCGS MS67+ CAC #25634591: “The Washington Rainbows Assortment, #1 PCGS Registry Set of Silver Washington Quarters, 1932-1964,” Stack’s Bowers, March 25, 2021, Lot 2281 – $2,640; GreatCollections, August 22, 2021, Lot 1035180 – View; GreatCollections, October 16, 2022, Lot 1233002 – View. Speckled with butterscotch firming on the obverse.
• PCGS MS67+ CAC #39824619: “The D. Brent Pogue Assortment, Half VII,” Stack’s Bowers, March 20, 2020, Lot 7191 – $960; Stack’s Bowers, November 12, 2020, Lot 5173 – $1,800.
• NGC MS67+ CAC #4913392-005: Heritage Auctions, October 18, 2020, Lot 7283 – $1,500. Frosty with scattered brown and rust firming alongside the periphery.
• NGC MS67+ #5743937-002: Heritage Auctions, August 9, 2020, Lot 7212 – $1,110; GreatCollections, January 17, 2021, Lot 919344 – View.
• PCGS MS67+ CAC #38559957: “The D. Brent Pogue Assortment, Half VII,” Stack’s Bowers, March 20, 2020, Lot 7190 – $1,920. Gold, inexperienced, and pink firming across the higher periphery (obverse) and decrease and left periphery (reverse). Firming in left obverse discipline.
• PCGS MS67+ #38684547: As NGC MS67+ #3582324-002. GreatCollections, January 27, 2019, Lot 667045 – View. As PCGS MS67+ #38684547. GreatCollections, March 1, 2020, Lot 674187 – View. Crossed over to PCGS. Gold, inexperienced, purple, and magenta firming on the obverse and reverse.
• PCGS MS67+ #36068249: Stack’s Bowers, March 1, 2019, Lot 7206 – $1,680; GreatCollections, March 28, 2021, Lot 964754 – View. Scattered brown firming. Brown spots at bust truncation over 5.
• PCGS MS67+ CAC #25788976: As PCGS MS67 #50066394. Heritage Auctions, June 3, 2014, Lot 6072 – $4,312.50; Heritage Auctions, June 4, 2015, Lot 3709 – $2,232.50. Reholded with Michael Fuller Assortment added. CAC added. As PCGS MS67+ CAC #25788976. Heritage Auctions, August 10, 2016, Lot 3885 – $3,290. Upgraded one-half level. One among two in MS67+ when supplied; “The jwb1040 Assortment,” Heritage Auctions, February 22, 2018, Lot 3608 – $1,680. Curvilinear firming mark on the backside proper discipline of the obverse. Scattered firming on the eagle.

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Design

Obverse:

Designed by John Flanagan, the obverse of the 1935-S Washington quarter is predicated on a bust of the final created by the neoclassical French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon in 1785. Nonetheless, Flanagan’s design differs from the unique bust in a number of methods, akin to a barely totally different head form and a number of other curls of hair that aren’t on the bust; for comparability, the bust will be considered on the late president’s property, Mount Vernon. Underneath the left-facing bust’s chin is the motto IN GOD WE TRUST, the 1935-D utilizing the transitional medium weight motto. The legend LIBERTY runs alongside the highest of the coin’s discipline and the date 1935 beneath. In small letters, Flanagan’s initials “JF” will be discovered above the “5” in 1935 on the base of the bust.

Reverse:

In contrast to the obverse, there have been no restrictions positioned on the candidate sculptors when designing the Washington quarter reverse. Flanagan’s reverse is dominated by a heraldic eagle with outstretched wings and a left-facing head. The eagle is perched on a neat bundle of arrows with two intertwined olive branches beneath, and the S mint mark centered between the 2 olive department stems. Above the eagle will be learn the 2 essential inscriptions UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and E PLURIBUS UNUM. Lastly, at six o’clock on the design is the denomination written out as QUARTER DOLLAR.

Edge:

The sting of the 1935-S Washington quarter is reeded, as is the sting of all Washington quarters.

Designer

Born in New Jersey in 1865, John Flanagan lived in New York for many of his life. He started working with Augustus Saint-Gaudens in 1884 on the age of 20 and shortly turned a widely known sculptor and medallic artist in his personal proper. Saint-Gaudens made introductions for Flanagan on the United States Mint. Whereas the Washington quarter was his sole numismatic design, Flanagan designed quite a few well-known medals and sculptures, together with the official medal of the 1915 Panama-Pacific Worldwide Exposition, the official Verdun medal gifted to France by the U.S. Authorities, and the 1924 bust of Saint-Gaudens. Flanagan was additionally a member of the American Numismatic Society (ANS).

Coin Specs