1963-D Washington Quarter : A Collector’s Guide

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes …..
The circulation of silver coins in the United States reached its terminus in 1965, but not before the United States Mint was thrust into year-to-year production records as it struggled to keep up with demand. The coinage shortage wasn’t only about the silver content found in dimes, quarters, and half dollars, but also due to an explosion in the use of vending machines. Americans purchased all manner of things from vending machines, including candy, cigarettes, coffee, sandwiches, and soda. Pay telephones exploded in popularity during this time, as glass and aluminum booths replaced wooden ones, allowing for their placement along the roadside in cities and the sprawling American suburbs.

With so many coins spent on these machines, the feedback loop fell under tremendous strain. It seemed that no matter how many coins the Mint produced, it wasn’t enough to keep them circulating.

Washington Quarter production in 1961 surpassed 120 million coins for the first time in U.S. history. In 1962, the total produced exceeded 163 million. In 1963, the Mint struck nearly 210 million quarters. The Denver Mint carried most of the burden, outproducing the Philadelphia Mint every year since 1956. The 1963-D Washington Quarter has a mintage of 135,288,184, which was one-fifth of the total of 1964-D-dated quarters it would produce in 1964 and 1965.

From a numismatic standpoint, Washington Quarters of the 1930s and Deep Cameo/Ultra Cameo Proof examples from the early ’50s have traditionally garnered the most interest from collectors. The 1932-D Washington Quarter has long been regarded as the series key, followed by the more available 1932-S, which actually has the lower mintage of the two first-year brant mint issues.

For the coins of the post-Double Mint Set period, availability in Mint State was all but assured by large numbers of Uncirculated Coin Sets and BU rolls. The Double Mint Set packaging material imbued many pieces with various degrees of toning. Sometimes this toning was made up of spectacular colors, but often this was not the case. From 1959 onward, however, the Mint packaged its uncirculated coins in a plastic pouch that, unless punctured, would not impart attractive color. This gave the late silver-era quarters a different flavor than previous issues. And for quarters struck in the 1960s, PQ color is quite uncommon.

Coin certification has given the 1963-D Washington Quarter a life it would not otherwise have had, as the coin–which can easily be purchased for $10-$15 in Mint State–becomes scarce in the Superb Gem grade of MS67. Incidental contact marks are the typical grade-limiting factor and finding coins with clean effigies and mark-free eagles is tough.

Grade inflation will likely be found by astute registry-set specialists as some noteworthy specimens have upgraded. However, given the low value of the coin in all but its top two grades, it’s safe to assume that the bulk of the available “gemmy” 1963-D Washington Quarters have yet to be certified.

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Market Data and Noteworthy Specimens

In September 2013, the PCGS top-pop grade for the 1963-D Washington Quarter was MS67+, with only five coins graded at that level. In November 2013, Heritage Auctions sold an MS67+ that would later upgrade to PCGS’ first and only MS68 for $15,862.50.

That MS68 coin was reported in the census before August 2021.

Top Population: PCGS MS68 (1, 12/2024), NGC MS67+ (10, 12/2024), and CAC MS67+ (1, 12/2024).

• PCGS MS68 #42756832: As PCGS MS67+ #25380340. Heritage Auctions, November 1, 2013, Lot 3612 – $15,862.50. As PCGS MS68 #42756832. Stack’s Bowers, August 25, 2022, Lot 7042 – $24,000. Upgraded by 1/2 point. Dark rust-colored rim toning that encroaches upon the center of the obverse and reverse. Top pop, pop one when offered.
• PCGS MS67+ #83220738: Dell Loy Hansen; DLRC, January 2, 2025, Lot #792290 – View. Hansen novelty insert. Vivid rainbow toning on the obverse. $1,600 starting bid.
• CACG MS67+ #865192910: GreatCollections, September 22, 2024, Lot 1378570 – $2,925. Gold and rust toning along the obverse and reverse periphery.
• NGC MS67+ #8208166-002: Heritage Auctions, August 18, 2024, Lot 7242 – $1,680. Rust-colored peripheral toning.
• PCGS MS67+ #50399256: As PCGS MS67 #25341731. Heritage Auctions, August 5, 2014, Lot 3678 – $1,762. As NGC MS67+ #6332336-001. Stack’s Bowers, March 23, 2023, Lot 6327 – $1,560. Crossed to NGC, where the coin upgraded by 1/2 point. As PCGS MS67+ #50399256. Stack’s Bowers, August 17, 2024, Lot 5108 – $780. Crossed to PCGS. Brilliant with scattered brown toning encroaching from the upper left obverse rim and the upper reverse periphery. Two ticks in hair.
• PCGS MS67+ #47739246: Stack’s Bowers, March 27, 2024, Lot 5381 – $3,120. Vivid, yet dark obverse rainbow toning.
• PCGS MS67+ CAC #39610016: GreatCollections, December 20, 2020, Lot 863473 – View; Legend Rare Coin Auctions, April 21, 2021, Lot 317 – Passed; Legend Rare Coin Auctions, October 1-28, 2021, Lot 392 – Passed; Heritage Auctions, July 15, 2022, Lot 3711 – $4,560; “The Stephenville Collection,” Heritage Auctions, December 15, 2022, Lot 3275 – $3,360; Heritage Auctions, February 9, 2024, Lot 3327 – $3,360. Rust-colored crescent toning along the lower obverse.
• PCGS MS67+ CAC #40568829: Legend Rare Coin Auctions, February 2021 – $8,518.75; Legend Rare Coin Auctions, April 28, 2022, Lot 142 – $4,935; Heritage Auctions, July 15, 2022, Lot 3710 – $4,560; Heritage Auctions, April 15, 2024, Lot 93124 – $2,280. Rust-colored crescent toning along the obverse right periphery. Toning spots at 9 o’clock.
• PCGS MS67+ CAC #42808712: GreatCollections, March 13, 2022, Lot 1125326 – View; Legend Rare Coin Auctions, December 16, 2022, Lot 105 – $5,757.50. Lightly toned.
• PCGS MS67+ #81480319: As NGC MS67 #1960641-004. Heritage Auctions, January 5, 2006, Lot 2579 – $3,220. As PCGS MS67 #09609217. Heritage Auctions, April 6, 2006, Lot 656 – $6,900; “The Craig Norris Collection,” Heritage Auctions, December 5, 2008, Lot 1423 – $8,625; As PCGS MS67 #18500644. “The George’s Army Collection,” Heritage Auctions, April 19, 2012, Lot 4331 – $16,100. George’s Army Collection on insert. As PCGS MS67+ #81480319. “The Washington Rainbows Collection, the #1 PCGS Registry Set of Silver Washington Quarters, 1932-1964,” Stack’s Bowers, March 25, 2021, Lot 2354 – $7,800; Heritage Auctions, October 7, 2021, Lot 3126 – $4,920. Washington Rainbows on insert. “Grainy” rainbow crescent toning (upper obverse/lower reverse).

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Design

Obverse:

Designed by John Flanagan, the obverse of the 1963-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 1963 is below. In small letters, Flanagan’s initials JF can be found above the “3” in 1963 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 the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM. Finally, at six o’clock on the design is the denomination written out as QUARTER DOLLAR.

Edge:

The edge of the 1963-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, and the 1924 bust of Saint-Gaudens. Flanagan was also a member of the American Numismatic Society (ANS).

Coin Specifications

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