Quarter Dollar 1965
Quarter Dollar 1965 Washington 25 Cents United States Of America. From United States. America - United States Half Dollar Kennedy 1965 XF / Spl. The period between 1964 and 1965 was a busy time at the U.S. Mint as it transitioned away from 90 percent silver dimes, quarter dollars and half dollars, moving the first two to a copper-nickel. The diameter is 0.955 inches (24.26 mm), and the width of 0.069 inches (1.75 mm). The coin has a 0.069-inch (1.75 mm) reeded (or milled) edge. Owing to the introduction of the clad quarter in 1965, it was occasionally called a 'Johnson Sandwich' after Lyndon B. The half dollar was changed from 90% silver to 40%. Congress passed the Coinage Act of 1965 in July, under which the Mint transitioned from striking 1964-dated silver quarters to striking 1965-dated clad quarters. Beginning on August 1, 1966, the Mint began to strike 1966-dated pieces, and thereafter it resumed the normal practice of striking.
I recently had the opportunity to examine a dozen examples of the 1964-D Washington, Reverse of 1965 quarter dollars.
Also called Type C Reverse quarter dollars, these 90 percent silver coins display crisp feather detail on the eagle, a design change initiated to accommodate striking the Washington quarter dollar on a copper-nickel clad planchet. It is a popular variety, worth about $225 in Mint State 65 compared to less than $20 for standard reverse 1964-D quarter dollars.
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No one knows precisely how many 1964-D Washington, Reverse of 1965 quarter dollars were struck. Having 12 coins together provided a rare opportunity to perform a die study. My colleagues and I were able to attribute the coins to two different reverse dies. This means that dies intended to strike copper-nickel clad coins were instead impressed with a D Mint mark and used to strike silver counterparts – and it happened more than once. It’s exciting to think this mishap occurred multiple times, providing some insight into the transition from silver to clad coinage.
In 1965 when phasing out silver coinage, the Treasury wanted to remove any possible impediment to the introduction of copper-nickel. One concern was that silver quarter dollars would be hoarded, so they produced an enormous number of them.
The 1964-D quarter dollar has the highest mintage of any silver Washington quarter dollar – 704,135,528 pieces. But these coins were not all struck in 1964.
Coinage of silver quarter dollars was continued alongside production of copper-nickel clad quarter dollars until 1967 to meet demand.
An enormous amount of clad quarter dollars were also produced in 1965, more than 1.8 billion of them.
All U.S. coins dated 1965 through 1967 were struck without Mint marks although they were produced at all Mints. The use of Mint marks was temporarily suspended primarily to discourage collectors and speculators from hoarding new issues.
With such an extraordinary number of coins being produced during this period, it is hardly surprising that occasional mishaps like the 1964-D Washington, Reverse of 1965 quarter dollar occurred. Wrong planchet errors from this period also exist and are highly coveted.
For example, Heritage Auctions sold an About Uncirculated 50 90 percent silver 1965 Washington quarter dollar for $6,900 in a Jan. 7, 2006, sale. An extremely scarce counterpart, a 1964 quarter dollar struck on a copper-nickel clad planchet, is considered a six-figure rarity by error specialists.
To manage the transition, from 1965 to 1967, the Treasury and Federal Reserve Banks held all quarter dollars and dimes returned to them from circulation. By July 1967, they had developed a stockpile of 3 billion dimes and 1.3 billion quarter dollars and began using automated machines to sort them.
Quarter Dollar 1965
Copper-nickel clad coins were returned to circulation and silver coins were melted, yielding 212 million fine ounces of silver. Silver sales conducted from Aug. 4, 1967, through Nov. 10, 1970, which included the 212 million ounces of silver from melted dimes and quarter dollars, generated $147 million in profit for the U.S. government, according to the Treasury Department.
Value Of 1965 Quarter Coin
Scott schechter is a grader at NGC and co-author of 100 Greatest U.S. Modern Coins. He can be reached by email directed to him at scott@ngccoin.com.