Washington quarter
United States | |
| Value | 25 cents (0.25 US dollars) |
|---|---|
| Mass | 5.67 g |
| Diameter | 24.3 mm |
| Edge | reeded |
| Orientation | coin (180°) |
| Composition | Current—cupronickel clad to copper. Prior to 1965—6.25 grams, 90% silver, 10% copper. Silver versions for collectors since 1976 also exist |
| Years of minting | 1932, 1934–present |
| Mint marks | D, S, P, W. Mintmark location & history on 1932–2021 coins discussed in #Clad composition. |
| Obverse | |
 | |
| Design | Bust of George Washington. Variants of previous obverse shown in #Silver quarter production. |
| Designer | Laura Gardin Fraser |
| Design date | 1931 |
| Design used | 2022 |
| Reverse | |
 | |
| Design | Eagle |
| Designer | John Flanagan |
| Design date | 1931 |
| Design used | 1932, 1934–1974, 1977–1998 |
| Design | Washington crossing the Delaware River in 1776 |
| Designer | Benjamin Sowards, sculpted by Michael Gaudioso |
| Design date | 2020 |
| Design used | 2021 |
| Design | Various commemorative designs |
| Designer | Various |
| Design used | 1975–1976, 1999–2021 |
The Washington quarter is the present quarter dollar or 25-cent piece issued by the United States Mint. The coin was first struck in 1932; the original version was designed by sculptor John Flanagan.
As the United States prepared to celebrate the 1932 bicentennial of the birth of its first president, George Washington, members of the bicentennial committee established by Congress sought a Washington half dollar. They wanted to displace for that year only the regular issue Walking Liberty half dollar; instead Congress permanently replaced the Standing Liberty quarter, requiring that a depiction of Washington appear on the obverse of the new coin. The committee had engaged sculptor Laura Gardin Fraser to design a commemorative medal, and wanted her to adapt her design for the quarter. Although Fraser's work was supported by the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) and its chairman, Charles W. Moore, Treasury Secretary Andrew W. Mellon chose a design by Flanagan, and Mellon's successor, Ogden L. Mills, refused to disturb the decision.
The new silver quarters entered circulation on August 1, 1932, and continued to be struck in silver until the Mint transitioned to copper-nickel clad coinage in 1965. A special reverse commemorating the United States Bicentennial was used in 1975 and 1976, with all pieces bearing the double date 1776–1976; there are no 1975-dated quarters. Since 1999, the original eagle reverse has not been used; instead that side of the quarter has commemorated the 50 states, the nation's other jurisdictions, and historic and natural sites—the last as part of the America the Beautiful Quarters series, which continued until 2021. The bust of Washington was modified and made smaller beginning in 1999; in 2010 the original bust was restored (though still small) to bring out greater detail. In 2021, Flanagan's original design resumed its place on the obverse, with a design showing Washington crossing the Delaware River in 1776 for the reverse, while in 2022 a new commemorative series depicting women commences.
Flanagan reverse (1932–1998)
The original Washington quarter design struck until 1998 depicted a head of George Washington facing left, with "Liberty" above the head, the date below, and "In God We Trust" in the left field. The reverse depicted an eagle with wings outspread perches on a bundle of arrows framed below by two olive branches.[1]
It initially contained 6.25 grams of 90% silver until 1964 when it switched to a base-metal composition of cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) clad to a pure copper core. Non-circulating versions of the quarter containing silver have also been produced for collectors since 1976.
Inception
On December 2, 1924, Congress created the United States George Washington Bicentennial Commission. The 200th anniversary of the birth of Washington, the first president of the United States, would occur in 1932, and Congress wished to plan for the event well in advance. President Calvin Coolidge was ex officio chairman of the commission, which included government officials as well as prominent private citizens such as automobile manufacturer Henry Ford. In 1929, the Secretary of Commerce, Herbert Hoover, succeeded Coolidge both as president and in his commission role. By that time, however, the commission had become inactive, doing little after sending out an initial flurry of press releases.[2] A new group, the George Washington Bicentennial Committee was established by Act of Congress in February 1930.[3]