1960-D Washington Quarter : A Collector’s Guide

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes …..
 

At the start of the 1961 fiscal year, the United States Federal Government held more than 1.8 billion fine ounces of silver, with more than half of that stored at the West Point Bullion Depository. Much of the Government’s silver deposits that year did not come western silver mines but from India, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia as part of their lend-lease agreements. The manufacture of silver coins drew down more than 42 million ounces and Treasury Department sales accounted for an additional outlay of 40 million ounces.

In 1960, the Denver Mint produced 63,000,324 Washington Quarters – more than double the amount of its Philadelphia counterpart and only slightly more than it had produced the year before. Quarter-dollar production, which infrequently surpassed 50 million coins throughout much of the 1950s, would see mintages explode in the early ’60s, culminating in Congress’s decision to end production of 90% silver coins.

Despite the fact that the majority of 1960-D Washington Quarters have been culled for their silver content, a significant enough quantity survive in Mint State from Uncirculated Coin Sets and rolls to meet the demand of collectors. Quality is typically not a problem through the Gem grade of MS66, but Superb Gems are scarce due the prevalence of coins struck with worn dies and coins with contact marks.

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1960-D Washington Quarter Market Data and Noteworthy Specimens

Most of the market action for high-end 1960-D Washington Quarters is taking place on GreatCollections. There, a PCGS MS67+ toner sold for a record $20,812.50, while an NGC MS68 sold for $7,031.25. That coin was a crossover and upgrade.

Top Population: PCGS MS67+ (3, 3/2025), NGC MS68 (1, 3/2025), and CAC MS67+ (0:1 stickered:graded, 3/2025).

• NGC MS68 #6279595-005: As PCGS MS67 #21729482. Heritage Auctions, December 5, 2008, Lot 1417 – $4,887.50; Heritage Auctions, June 7, 2019, Lot 3730 – $9,000. As NGC MS68 #6279595-005. GreatCollections, December 8, 2024, Lot 723486 – $7,031.25. Submitted to NGC and upgraded by one point. Gold and orange toning all over with then streak of peacock toning along the lower left periphery on the obverse.
• PCGS MS67+ CAC #38029756: GreatCollections, August 16, 2020, Lot 860151 – $20,812.50. Record price. Gold, green, orange, and violet toning. Top-pop, pop 1 when sold. Untoned spot under the L of Liberty.
• NGC MS67+ CAC #6072828-004: GreatCollections, April 9, 2023, Lot 863474 – View; Heritage Auctions, September 15, 2023, Lot 3284 – $2,520. Mostly white. Toning from fingerprint below motto. Toning above Washington’s forehead. Blue and purple toning above the eagle’s head and along the lower periphery.
• PCGS MS67 #84977093: Dell Loy Hansen; DLRC, January 2, 2025, Lot 792279 – $2,650 Starting Bid Not Met. DLRC, March 2025 – Marketed for $3,200. Hansen novelty label.
• PCGS MS67 CAC #30556370: Heritage Auctions, January 8, 2015, Lot 4793 – $2,232.50. Sandy-gold toning along the periphery.

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Design

Obverse:

Designed by John Flanagan, the obverse of the 1960-D Washington Quarter is based on a bust of the general created by the neoclassical French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon in 1785. However, Flanagan’s design differs from the original bust in several ways, such as a slightly different head shape and several curls of hair that are not on the bust; for comparison, the bust can be viewed at the late president’s Virginia estate, Mount Vernon. Under the left-facing bust’s chin is the motto IN GOD WE TRUST. The legend LIBERTY runs along the top of the coin’s field, and the date 1960 is below. In small letters, Flanagan’s initials JF can be found above the “2” in 1932 at the base of the bust.

Reverse:

Unlike the obverse, no restrictions were placed on the candidate sculptors when designing the Washington Quarter reverse. Flanagan’s reverse is dominated by a heraldic eagle with outstretched wings and a left-facing head. The eagle is perched on a neat bundle of arrows with two intertwined olive branches below and the D mintmark centered between the two olive branch stems. The two main inscriptions above the eagle are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and E PLURIBUS UNUM. Finally, at six o’clock on the design is the denomination written out as QUARTER DOLLAR.

Edge:

The edge of the 1960-D Washington Quarter is reeded.

Designer

John Flanagan was born in New Jersey in 1865 and lived in New York for most of his life. He began working with Augustus Saint-Gaudens in 1884 at the age of 20 and quickly became a well-known sculptor and medallic artist in his own right. Saint-Gaudens made introductions for Flanagan at the United States Mint. While the Washington Quarter was his sole numismatic design, Flanagan designed numerous famous medals and sculptures, including the official medal of the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, the official Verdun medal gifted to France by the United States Government, and the 1924 bust of Saint-Gaudens. Flanagan was also a member of the American Numismatic Society (ANS).

1960-D Washington Quarter Coin Specifications

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