Washington Quarter Silver Years: What 1932-1964 Coins Are Worth

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The Washington quarter at a glance

The Washington quarter is the United States 25-cent coin first struck in 1932. It was authorized by Congress to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of George Washington. The original obverse portrait and the heraldic eagle reverse were both designed by sculptor John Flanagan.

The obverse shows a left-facing bust of Washington. The reverse used from 1932 through 1998 shows an eagle with outspread wings perched on a bundle of arrows above two olive branches. That reverse was replaced by state and territory designs starting in 1999 and by additional programs after that.

Every quarter dated from 1932 through the middle of 1965 came from planchets of 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper. When the Mint switched over to the copper-nickel clad composition after the Coinage Act of 1965, the silver-quarter era ended for circulating coinage. Silver quarters have since been produced only for collectors in special Mint sets.

The two composition eras of the series

The Washington quarter series lives inside two clean composition eras. The rule is date-based and it does the single most useful piece of sorting work on any old jar of quarters.

Quarters dated 1932 through 1964 are 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper. Each coin weighs 6.25 grams and holds 5.625 grams of pure silver, which is about 0.18084 troy ounces. There is no year inside this window that is anything other than 90 percent silver, regardless of mint mark.

Quarters dated 1965 and later are copper-nickel clad and carry no bullion silver at all. The outer layers are 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel bonded to a pure copper core. The clad coin weighs 5.67 grams. In circulated grades it is worth 25 cents.

Two narrow exceptions to the second rule exist and are addressed further down. The 1976 Bicentennial silver-clad quarter was struck at 40 percent silver and sold only inside Mint collector sets. Since 1992 the Mint has also issued silver proof sets that include a quarter struck in .900 silver, again for collectors only.

How to sort a jar of quarters by year

The fastest way to work through a jar or a bag of old quarters is to read the date first and let it do the sorting. The two-era rule below gives you the composition without a scale, a magnet, or a specific gravity test.

1. Pull every coin dated 1932 through 1964 into a silver pile. Anything in that window is 90 percent silver, regardless of mint mark. These are the silver Washington quarters and the reason to be sorting the jar at all.
2. Send everything dated 1965 or later to a face-value pile. These are copper-nickel clad. In circulated grades they are worth 25 cents each at a bank or a vending machine. The one narrow retail exception is a special silver-clad 1776-1976 Bicentennial coin, addressed further down.
3. Isolate any 1932-D or 1932-S candidate for a closer look. These are the two recognized key dates of the entire series. Both were struck in tiny numbers and their mint marks are among the most-often counterfeited in United States numismatics.
4. Confirm the doubtful pieces with the edge test. Any coin where the date is worn or unreadable can be sorted using the color of the edge, described in the next section.
5. Set aside a candidate 1976 silver-clad quarter. A Bicentennial quarter that came out of an original Mint set with the S mint mark is likely the 40 percent silver-clad version. A worn Bicentennial coin from change is almost always the copper-nickel version and is worth face value.

The edge-look identification test

The edge of a Washington quarter tells you the composition when the date is worn or when you want a fast visual check without picking up every coin. Hold the coin so the reeded edge faces you and compare against the two patterns below.

A 90 percent silver 1932 through 1964 quarter shows a solid silvery band across the entire edge. There is no visible copper strip. The metal reads as one continuous bright color from face to face.

A copper-nickel clad 1965 or later quarter shows a clear brown or reddish stripe running down the center of the edge. The outer layers are silvery, but the copper core between them reads as an unmistakable band. Once you see the pattern on one coin, you will read every clad quarter the same way at a glance.

Verified physical specifications per era

The table below sets out the two composition eras and their measured specifications, plus the two silver-collector varieties struck after 1965. Any coin sold as a Washington quarter that fails these numbers is a counterfeit, a novelty, or a coin from a different series.

Live melt-value calculator

Enter today's silver spot price and the number of coins you hold. The calculator uses the verified silver content per coin for the 1932 to 1964 silver Washington quarter. The output is a floor: the raw metal value at spot before any dealer buy spread or collector premium.

Melt-floor math on one silver Washington quarter

The 1932-D and 1932-S key dates

The 1932-D and 1932-S are the two recognized key dates of the Washington quarter series. According to the Wikipedia entry drawing on published mintage figures, both coins were struck in production runs just over 400,000 pieces. These remain the two lowest business-strike mintages of the entire series from 1932 to the present.

The 1932 Philadelphia strike is far more common at roughly 5.4 million pieces. The small mintages at Denver and San Francisco meant that few 1932-D or 1932-S coins were pulled aside by dealers at the time of issue. That absence of a hoard is why the two dates are scarce in mint state and uncirculated grades today.

Both coins in problem-free circulated grades trade at a strong premium over the common-date silver floor. Sharp uncirculated certified examples move into meaningful four-figure and higher territory for the finest survivors. Because their mint marks are widely counterfeited, an independent third-party grade is standard for any 1932-D or 1932-S sold at a real collector premium.

No Washington quarters were struck at any Mint facility in 1933. An oversupply from the 1932 production run meant that fresh quarter coinage was not needed that year. There is no genuine 1933 Washington quarter, so any coin dated 1933 is either a novelty item or an altered piece.

The 1936-D semi-key and other date notes

The 1936-D Washington quarter is widely tracked as a semi-key date in the series among established dealers and grading references. It was struck in a much smaller run than the surrounding Denver issues of 1934, 1935, and 1937, and it survives less often in high mint-state grades than its raw mintage would suggest.

In worn circulated grades a 1936-D trades close to the common-date silver floor, since a well-worn example is still fundamentally junk-silver metal. The premium arrives in sharper grades and in certified uncirculated examples. Any 1936-D priced at a serious collector premium should carry certification from an independent grading service before purchase.

Other date notes for the 1932 to 1964 window are matters of surface, strike, and variety rather than raw mintage rarity. The 1934 doubled-die obverse, the 1937 doubled-die obverse, and various small overdate and re-punched mint mark varieties carry premiums for specialists but do not change the composition or the melt floor of the base coin.

The 1976 Bicentennial quarter and its silver variety

Bicentennial quarters carry the double date 1776-1976. There are no 1975-dated quarters at all: the Mint continued striking 1974-dated coins into 1975 and then moved directly to the Bicentennial reverse. Both dates on the coin refer to the Bicentennial and appear on every piece struck for the program.

The Bicentennial reverse shows a colonial drummer with a torch of victory surrounded by 13 stars. It was designed by Jack L. Ahr and replaced the Flanagan eagle reverse for two years of production. After the Bicentennial the Flanagan eagle reverse returned for regular issue.

The Bicentennial quarter exists in two distinct compositions. The regular circulation and Mint-set version is the standard copper-nickel clad composition, with no silver, weighing 5.67 grams. A separate silver-clad collector version was struck at 40 percent silver total content and sold only inside three-coin silver Bicentennial sets and six-coin Bicentennial silver proof sets.

Congress authorized 45 million pieces of the 40 percent silver Bicentennial coinage across the three denominations. The Mint sold the collector silver sets through 1986 and then melted the unsold remainder. A worn 1776-1976 quarter pulled from change or a jar is almost always the copper-nickel version and is worth 25 cents at face value.

What drives collectible value above melt

A silver Washington quarter in circulated condition typically trades at or near its melt-metal value. A handful of factors move a specific coin above that floor. The list below explains what a serious buyer or an established grading service is actually looking at.

Condition is the largest lever. A common-date silver quarter in a worn grade trades near the metal floor. A sharp, original, uncirculated coin certified by an independent grader trades for multiples of that floor. A superb-gem grade at MS-67 or higher can command a meaningful premium even on a common date.

Date and mint mark scarcity carry the second-largest weight. The 1932-D and 1932-S are the two recognized keys. The 1936-D is the leading semi-key. Certain doubled-die and re-punched mint mark varieties carry premiums for specialists in the series.

Strike quality and originality matter for the series. A cleanly struck example with full detail on Washington's hair and a crisp eagle reverse trades above a mushy example of the same date. Original toning and unbroken luster lift a coin above a wiped or dipped peer of the same technical grade.

Authenticity is the final gate. A cleaned coin, a chemically altered piece, an added mint mark, or an outright counterfeit will always trade at a discount. Independent third-party grading is the standard filter for any silver Washington quarter priced above raw common-date silver levels.

Counterfeits and altered mint marks to watch

The Washington quarter series is not the most-faked United States coin, but the two 1932 keys are a real target and every reader should know the pattern.

The mint marks on the 1932-D and 1932-S have been counterfeited for decades. According to the Wikipedia entry on the series, the most common alteration is a Philadelphia 1932 coin with a D or S mint mark added by tooling or by soldering a mint mark from another coin. Any 1932-D or 1932-S sold at a serious collector premium should carry certification from an established independent grader.

Cast counterfeits and modern die-struck fakes of the 1932-D and 1932-S have appeared, often produced overseas. These pieces can show soft details, incorrect weight, an edge seam, or a reeding count that does not match a genuine United States Mint strike. A jewelry scale is a fast first check: a genuine silver Washington quarter weighs 6.25 grams.

Cleaned coins are the most common condition problem across the whole series. A wiped, dipped, or polished coin will be graded as details by an independent service, which typically cuts value against an original piece of the same technical grade. A high-luster coin with fine hairline scratches under a loupe is a warning sign.

When a common date is worth grading

Independent third-party grading has a fee that often exceeds the retail value of a common-date circulated silver quarter. Grading is not the right answer for every coin. The short list below is when grading makes economic sense on a Washington quarter.

A 1932-D or a 1932-S in any grade is worth submitting, since certification is what the market uses to price both the coin and to filter added or tooled mint marks. A candidate 1936-D in a sharper grade is usually worth grading. A high-grade uncirculated common-date coin that a serious buyer will pay a real premium for is worth grading. Any coin sold as an error or a variety needs grading before a buyer will pay the variety premium.

A well-worn common-date 1934 to 1964 quarter does not need grading. The economic value is the metal floor, and a certified holder will not add enough to cover the grading fee. Take the coin to a local dealer or a bullion buyer priced against the current silver spot price.

What your Washington quarter is probably not

Washington quarter FAQ

By the Harry’s Coins Editorial team. Last reviewed August 2026.