1947

The 1947 Philadelphia quarter belongs to the modest postwar window of the Washington run, with 22,556,000 pieces struck after the enormous wartime mintages of 1942 through 1945 trailed off. The 1947 figure sits noticeably below adjacent years on either side; commercial demand for new quarter coinage softened once the war economy receded, and Philadelphia's output for the date is less than half of the 1944 and 1945 totals. John Flanagan's portrait of George Washington, modeled on Houdon's 1785 marble bust, continues unchanged from the inaugural 1932 design, with the JF initials at the truncation of the neck. Philadelphia quarters of this period carry no mintmark, which is the correct configuration for the date.

Strike quality on the issue is generally adequate, with the predictable mid-1940s pattern of softness on Washington's hair above the ear and on the eagle's breast feathers. Pay attention to the date and motto IN GOD WE TRUST for hub doubling under five-to-ten-power magnification, since the late-1940s dies occasionally produced minor doubling that does not rise to a Cherrypickers' Guide variety but can affect eye appeal. Counterfeit risk is low for the standard 1947, but the date is a frequent host coin for added-mintmark alterations purporting to be 1947-S, so any raw "S" attribution deserves a careful look at the punch base. Population reports at PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, show the issue is plentiful through MS65, with the meaningful drop arriving at MS66 and above where original surfaces and full luster both matter.

The 1947 is a common date in the modern catalog, set-fillable in circulated grades for prices near silver melt and obtainable in MS64 and MS65 without much hunting. Toning specialists and registry-set builders chase the few examples with full original color, since most surviving pieces have been dipped or cleaned at some point in the past seventy years. Realistic acquisition for the date is a certified MS65 or MS66 from a major auction, with the upgrade path running into resistance at the MS67 mark where the issue thins quickly. For the broader story of John Flanagan's design and the series' production arc, see the Washington Quarter series history.