1994-P Washington Quarter : A Collector’s Guide

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes …..
All through the Nineteen Nineties, the hair element of the Washington Quarter grew to become more and more garish because the United States Mint made a sequence of changes to the design, ensuing within the so-called “Spaghetti Hair” quarters. Beginning round 1991, the modifications had been gradual however simply discernible. Sculptor John Flanagan’s authentic portrait of Founding Father George Washington didn’t function significantly real looking hair element, giving it some type however not articulating the wavy strains in such sharp element.

We as soon as approached former Chief Engraver John Mercanti concerning the Spaghetti Hair incident, and he informed us that he knew who did it however didn’t need to name them out. It’s possible that these modifications had been meant to extend manufacturing and weren’t a creative whim, because the Mint was adjusting the concavity of the design throughout this era.

The Philadelphia Mint struck 825,600,000 1994-P Washington Quarters – over 54 million fewer quarters than these produced on the Denver Mint. Your entire mintage entered into circulation throughout the first 12 months or so of manufacturing and was accessible over-the-counter in Sensible Uncirculated situation at most financial institution areas all through the Philadelphia facility’s service area.

Moreover, the 1994-P Washington Quarter was offered as a part of the 1994 United States Mint Uncirculated Coin Set. These units, provided yearly since 1968, included one instance of every circulating coin struck on the Philadelphia and Denver mints. Together with the 1994-P quarter, the Philadelphia cash within the set included the 1994-P Kennedy Half Greenback, the 1994-P Roosevelt Dime, the 1994-P Jefferson Nickel, and the 1994 Lincoln Cent. These units could be acquired with minimal effort and usually promote for lower than $10 every.

How A lot Is the 1994-P Washington Quarter Price?

Like all United States cash, the 1994-P Washington Quarter is collectible. It’s been 30 years because the coin was launched into circulation, and some billion cash survive in numerous states of preservation. Regardless of this, one is just not prone to encounter a 1994-P in change fairly often. These all in favour of buying this date (and lots of others from the post-1965 clad interval) will discover some success with coin roll looking. Most financial institution branches may have rolls and bins of quarter {dollars}, and could can help you buy them at face worth. Anticipate that the majority cash discovered this manner will probably be in circulated situation.

The Mint offered 1,234,813 Mint Units in 1994. These cash are in uncirculated situation, and with some effort, one can discover cash in Gem Mint State or higher. As talked about beforehand, these units promote for about $10 every for all 10 circulating cash. Anticipate to pay between $1 and $2 for a unfastened uncirculated 1994-P Washington Quarter.

The file value for a 1994-P quarter is $8,156.25, paid on December 30, 2018, for a flashy and totally sensible instance graded PCGS MS68 – a high pop, pop one coin when provided. When the second PCGS-graded MS68 was offered in January 2021, that coin introduced significantly much less, which makes us imagine that the beforehand provided MS68 has misplaced greater than half of its worth with the addition of the second coin to the PCGS census.

Licensed MS67s promote for beneath $150 (some as little as $50), whereas MS66s commerce at or beneath the price of submission.

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1994-P Washington Quarter Market Knowledge and Noteworthy Specimens

Each NGC MS68s had been made after 2017.

Prime Inhabitants: PCGS MS68 (2, 11/2024), NGC MS68 (2, 11/2024), and CAC N/A (0:0 stickered:graded, 11/2024).

• PCGS MS68 #40907578: GreatCollections, January 17, 2021, Lot 893287 – $3,216.38. Frivolously champagne hue. Second PCGS MS68 graded.
• PCGS MS68 #36639374: GreatCollections, December 30, 2018, Lot 602245 – $8,156.25. Flashy. Absolutely sensible. First PCGS MS68 graded.
• PCGS MS67+ #47514851: GreatCollections, August 27, 2023, Lot 1275225 – View.
• NGC MS67 #2729627-009: Marketed by DLRC as of November 12, 2024 at $300.
• NGC MS67 #6548376-017: eBay, August 30, 2024 – $155.75.
• PCGS MS67 #12843561: Heritage Auctions, June 18, 2019, Lot 25557 – $504. Pop 14 with one finer when provided.
• NGC MS67 #2557585-083: Heritage auctions, January 10, 2017, Lot 24132 – $223.25.
• PCGS MS66 #84915291: eBay, August 19, 2024 – $26.

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Design

Obverse:

Designed by American sculptor John Flanagan, the obverse of the 1994-P Washington Quarter relies on a bust of George Washington created by the neoclassical French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon in 1785. Flanagan’s design differs from the unique bust in a number of methods, resembling a barely totally different head form and several other curls of hair that aren’t on the bust; for comparability, Houdon’s bust could be seen on the late president’s Virginia property, Mount Vernon. Underneath the left-facing effigy’s chin is the nationwide motto IN GOD WE TRUST. The phrase LIBERTY runs alongside the highest of the coin’s subject, and the date 1994 is beneath. In small letters, Flanagan’s initials JF could be discovered above the “4” in 1994 on the base of the bust, and the P mintmark is to the precise of Washington’s hair tie.

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. The 2 primary inscriptions above the eagle are the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM. Lastly, at six o’clock on the design, the denomination is written out as QUARTER DOLLAR.

Edge:

The sting of the 1994-P Washington quarter is reeded.

Coin Specs

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