United States Washington Quarters
1932–Present • Silver & Clad • State Quarters • The 1932-D Key Date
Washington Quarters Value Guide
Key Dates and Typical Values by Era
| Date / Era | Mintage | Good (G-4) | Fine (F-12) | VF-20 | MS-63+ | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932-D — Key Date | 436,800 | $85+ | $118+ | $150+ | $2,000 – $143,750 | Shop |
| 1932-S — Key Date | 408,000 | $90+ | $120+ | $140+ | $650 – $45,500 | Shop |
| 1936-D | 5,374,000 | $15 | $40 | $65 | $800+ | Shop |
| 1940-D | 2,797,600 | $15 | $20 | $35 | $200+ | Shop |
| Common Silver (1932–1964) | Varies | $11 | $12 | $13 | $25+ | Shop |
| 1965–1998 Clad | Varies | Face value | Face value | Face value | $3+ | Shop |
| State Quarters (1999–2008) | Varies | Face value | Face value | Face value | $5+ | Shop |
| America the Beautiful (2010–2021) | Varies | Face value | Face value | Face value | $3+ | Shop |
Washington quarters have been struck since 1932, which makes them the longest-running quarter design in U.S. history. Most are worth face value or close to their silver content. However, the 1932-D and 1932-S key dates, a handful of semi-keys, and certain varieties carry real premiums. Every quarter dated 1964 or earlier is 90% silver, worth about $10.44 in metal at $57.72 per ounce (October 2026).
This series followed the Standing Liberty quarter, and our U.S. quarters overview covers every design back to 1796. For values across all denominations, see the coin price guide. If you're not sure what you have yet, start with What's My Coin Worth?
Origins of the Washington Quarter
The Washington quarter debuted in 1932 for the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth, replacing the Standing Liberty design. Sculptor John Flanagan based his left-facing portrait on Jean-Antoine Houdon's famous 1785 bust of Washington. On the reverse, he placed an eagle with spread wings standing on a bundle of arrows above olive branches.
The Mint originally planned the design as a one-year commemorative. Even so, it proved popular, and when quarter production resumed in 1934, Washington stayed. More than 90 years later, his portrait still appears on the quarter.
The Mint struck no quarters at all in 1933, so any "1933 Washington quarter" is either a misread date or a fake. The Depression also explains the series' two key dates. In 1932, demand for new coins was weak, so Denver and San Francisco struck only about 400,000 quarters each, a tiny fraction of Philadelphia's output.
The Silver Era (1932–1964)
From 1932 through 1964, Washington quarters were struck in 90% silver and 10% copper. Each coin weighs 6.25 grams and holds 0.1808 troy ounces of pure silver, the same standard the quarter had used since 1873. This 33-year run holds most of the series' collector value: both key dates, several semi-keys such as the 1936-D and 1940-D, and well-known doubled dies from the 1930s.
Mintages climbed as the economy recovered from the Depression and expanded during and after World War II. As a result, most dates from the 1940s and 1950s are common, even in high grade. The 1964 quarter, the last 90% silver year, had an enormous mintage because the Mint struck extra silver coins before the switch to clad. Today, 1964 quarters are plentiful and trade close to melt value.
The 1965 Clad Transition
By the early 1960s, rising silver prices threatened to make silver coins worth more as metal than as money. People began hoarding them, and coin shortages followed. Congress responded with the Coinage Act of 1965, which removed silver from the quarter and dime. In its place, the Mint used a clad "sandwich" of copper-nickel outer layers (75% copper, 25% nickel) bonded to a pure copper core. That core gives modern quarters their copper stripe on the edge, and the same composition is still in use today.
For that reason, the date tells you a Washington quarter's metal content. Anything dated 1964 or earlier is 90% silver, while anything dated 1965 or later is clad and worth face value unless it carries a collector premium. The one exception is collector issues: since 1992, the Mint has sold silver proof versions of modern quarters in special sets, separate from circulating coins.
State Quarters, National Park Quarters & Modern Programs
The eagle reverse first gave way in 1975 and 1976, when Bicentennial quarters carried a colonial drummer boy and the dual date 1776–1976. Those circulating coins are clad, although the Mint also sold 40% silver collector versions. Then, starting in 1999, two long programs turned the Washington quarter into a canvas for more than 100 different designs, and they brought millions of new collectors into the hobby.
The 50 State Quarters Program (1999–2008)
Congress authorized the program in the 50 States Commemorative Coin Program Act of 1997. The Mint released five designs a year, in the order each state ratified the Constitution or joined the Union. For each design, the state's governor and a citizens' committee proposed concepts, and the Secretary of the Treasury gave final approval. Meanwhile, the obverse kept Flanagan's Washington, slightly reworked to make room for the new reverse legends.
The program was a huge success. The Mint estimated that roughly 147 million Americans collected State Quarters at its peak, and total mintage across all 50 designs topped 34 billion coins. Philadelphia and Denver struck the circulating coins, while San Francisco struck proofs for collector sets only.
| Year | States Honored (in release order) | Shop |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut | Shop |
| 2000 | Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia | Shop |
| 2001 | New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Kentucky | Shop |
| 2002 | Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana, Mississippi | Shop |
| 2003 | Illinois, Alabama, Maine, Missouri, Arkansas | Shop |
| 2004 | Michigan, Florida, Texas, Iowa, Wisconsin | Shop |
| 2005 | California, Minnesota, Oregon, Kansas, West Virginia | Shop |
| 2006 | Nevada, Nebraska, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota | Shop |
| 2007 | Montana, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah | Shop |
| 2008 | Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, Hawaii | Shop |
America the Beautiful (National Park) Quarters, 2010–2021
After the D.C. and U.S. Territories quarters in 2009, the America the Beautiful Quarters Act of 2008 launched a follow-on series. It honored one national park or other federal site in each state, D.C., and the five territories, for 56 designs in all. Many collectors rate these designs above the State Quarters as a group. For example, the program featured famous parks like Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, and Yellowstone, along with lesser-known sites such as Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware and Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa.
The program also produced the first modern quarters with real scarcity in pocket change. In 2019, the West Point Mint struck 2 million each of the five ATB designs with a W mint mark and released them only into circulation, the first W-mint quarters ever. The Mint repeated the program in 2020. As a result, a W quarter found in change is worth well over face, especially in Mint State.
Running alongside the circulating quarters, the Mint also struck 5-ounce, 3-inch .999 silver bullion coins for every ATB design, plus burnished versions sold directly to collectors. At $57.72 per ounce (October 2026), each one holds about $289 in silver before any collector premium.
After 2021: New Reverses and a New Portrait
In 2021, a one-year reverse showed Washington crossing the Delaware. After that, the American Women Quarters program (2022–2025) honored notable women on the reverse, paired with a new obverse portrait of Washington by Laura Gardin Fraser. For 2026, the Mint is issuing special quarters for the nation's 250th anniversary.
Modern Quarter Errors, Varieties & Sets Worth Money
All of these circulating coins are clad, so most are worth face value. However, a few varieties, low-mintage W coins, and silver collector sets are worth far more.
| Coin / Set | Why It Matters | Approx. Value | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-D Wisconsin — Extra Leaf High | The scarcer of the two Extra Leaf varieties; Denver only | $50 (XF) – $1,200 (MS-67) | Shop |
| 2004-D Wisconsin — Extra Leaf Low | The more common Extra Leaf variety; Denver only | $45 (XF) – $1,200 (MS-67) | Shop |
| 2019-W & 2020-W ATB Quarters | 2 million per design, released only into circulation | Above face; gem Mint State far more | Shop |
| Silver Proof State Quarters (50 coins) | 90% silver San Francisco proofs, 1999–2008 | ~$520+ in silver alone | Shop |
| Silver Proof ATB Quarters (56 coins) | 90% silver through 2018, .999 silver from 2019 | ~$600+ in silver alone | Shop |
| ATB 5 oz. Silver Coins | 3-inch .999 silver bullion version of each ATB design | ~$289 melt + premium each | Shop |
Silver figures use $57.72 per ounce (October 2026). Collector premiums vary, so check recent sold listings before you buy or sell.
Key Dates and Major Rarities
1932-D
1932-S
1936-D
1934 & 1937 Doubled Die Obverse
1950-D/S & 1950-S/D
1964 — Last Silver Year
Related Coin Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most valuable Washington quarter?
Why is the 1932-D considered rarer than the 1932-S?
How can I tell if my Washington quarter is silver?
Was there a 1933 Washington quarter?
Are State Quarters worth anything?
How do I tell if my Wisconsin quarter has the extra leaf?
What are W mint mark quarters?
What is a good entry point for collecting Washington quarters?
Definitive Reference – Expanded 3rd edition delivers a comprehensive history of Washington quarters from their 1932 debut to today’s modern programs.
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