Washington quarter value: key dates, silver years and mint marks

Most Washington quarters are worth face value, but 1932-D and 1932-S (both under 440,000 struck), any quarter dated 1964 or earlier (90% silver) and the 40% silver 1976-S collector issues are worth checking. Here is how to sort yours by date, metal and mint mark.

By the Coin Scanner team · Updated 2026-10-13

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How the Washington quarter began

The U.S. Mint introduced the Washington quarter in 1932 to mark the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth, replacing the Standing Liberty design. The left-facing portrait is the work of John Flanagan, and the original reverse showed an eagle with spread wings standing on a bundle of arrows above olive branches.

Because the design stayed in use for decades while the metal, the reverse and the mint mark position all changed, the date alone tells you a lot about what you are holding.

The eras at a glance

• 1932–1964: 90% silver. Every coin from these years is worth more than face value for its metal alone.
• 1965 onward: the Mint removed silver and switched to copper-nickel clad. Look at the edge: clad quarters show a copper-colored core.
• 1975–1976: the bicentennial reverse by Jack Ahr shows a colonial drummer and a victory torch inside 13 stars. All are dated 1776–1976, so a 1975 strike cannot be told from a 1976 strike.
• 1999–2008: the 50 State Quarters, followed in 2009 by six designs for the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories.
• 2010–2021: America the Beautiful, 56 designs honoring national parks and other sites. In 2019 the West Point Mint struck 10 million quarters with a W mint mark, the first W on a circulating coin.
• 2021: General George Washington Crossing the Delaware reverse, paired with Flanagan's original obverse style.
• 2022–2025: American Women Quarters. These use a different, right-facing Washington portrait sculpted by Laura Gardin Fraser for the 1931 design competition.
• 2026: five semiquincentennial designs on American history themes.

Key dates and notable issues

Mintages for 1932 and 1976-S are those listed by PCGS CoinFacts; the bicentennial and 2019-W totals are from the U.S. Mint. A 40% silver proof version of the 1976-S was also sold to collectors.

Why 1932-D and 1932-S are scarce

Only two Washington quarters were struck in quantities under one million, and both are from 1932. PCGS points out that collectors hunted them in circulation from the 1950s and found few, and that the 1932-D is harder to find than the 1932-S in uncirculated condition because fewer were saved when new. For context on top-end prices, a PCGS MS66 1932-D, one of the finest known, sold for $143,750 at a Bowers & Merena auction in April 2008, according to the PCGS auction record for the issue. That is a record for a near-perfect coin; worn examples sell for a small fraction of it.

Where to find the mint mark

On 1932–1964 quarters, the D or S is on the reverse, below the wreath under the eagle. Philadelphia coins of that era have no letter. The Coinage Act of 1965 removed mint marks, so 1965–1967 quarters have none. When they returned in 1968, the Mint put all of them on the obverse, to the right of the portrait on the quarter. The P for Philadelphia began appearing on quarters in 1980. See our mint mark guide for other denominations.

How to check your quarter

1. Read the date. Anything 1964 or earlier is silver. 1932 deserves a close look.
2. Find the mint mark in the right spot for the era. A 1932 with a D or S on the reverse is the coin to protect.
3. Check the edge. A solid silver-white edge points to 90% silver; a copper stripe means clad. Our silver test guide covers weight checks.
4. Look closely at a 1932-D or 1932-S. Because these are worth so much more than a 1932 Philadelphia coin, make sure the letter sits in the normal spot, matches the style of the rest of the lettering and shows no tool marks around it. Key dates should always be authenticated.
5. Scan both sides with Coin Scanner. The app reads the date and mint mark from your photos and gives an estimated value range for the issue.

What drives value

For silver-era quarters, the floor is the melt value of the silver. Above that, grade matters most: an uncirculated coin with full luster can be worth many times a worn one. Mint mark and date set the baseline scarcity, recognized varieties such as listed doubled dies add a premium, and original surfaces beat cleaned ones. For modern state, park and women quarters, nearly all circulated coins are worth face value; the exceptions are genuine mint errors and varieties, covered in our state quarter errors guide.

Check your coin in seconds

Coin Scanner identifies a coin from a photo of both sides, reads the date and mint mark, and gives an estimated value range so you know whether it deserves a closer look.