1962

The 1962 Philadelphia quarter came off the presses at 39,374,019 pieces, an output that placed the year at less than a third of the Denver figure of 127,554,756 and emphasized the growing gap between the two principal quarter mints as commercial cash demand climbed through the early 1960s. The composition stays at 90% silver and 10% copper, a 6.25-gram blank yielding .1808 ounces of actual silver weight, and Philadelphia quarters of this era carry no mintmark; the P designation would not arrive on the quarter denomination until 1980. The 1962 issue is the second-to-last Philadelphia silver quarter before the 1964 hoarding wave and the 1965 composition change reshape the series.

Strike quality on the 1962 runs from average to good, with the routine softness on the eagle's breast feathers and Washington's hair above the ear that defines the era's Philadelphia output. Pay attention to the date and motto IN GOD WE TRUST for hub doubling under five-to-ten-power magnification; the 1962 dies produced a documented minor Doubled Die Obverse visible on the motto, collected by specialists but not separately catalogued. Counterfeit risk is low at face-silver values. The 1962 Philadelphia is sometimes used as a donor coin for added-mintmark fakes purporting to be 1962-D, so any raw piece carrying a reverse mintmark deserves a careful look at the punch base. Population reports at PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, show the issue plentiful through MS65, with a meaningful drop at MS66 and original-skin gems with full luster commanding the registry premium.

The 1962 is a common date in the modern catalog, set-fillable in circulated grades at small premiums over silver melt and obtainable in MS64 and MS65 without effort. Toning specialists chase the few examples with full original color, since most surviving pieces have been dipped or cleaned over the past sixty-plus years. Year-set builders and silver-quarter accumulators make up the bulk of the buyer base. Realistic acquisition is a certified MS65 or MS66 from a major auction, with the upgrade path running into firm resistance at the MS67 mark where the issue thins quickly. For the broader story of John Flanagan's design, the 1965 silver-to-clad transition, and the series' production arc, see the Washington Quarter series history.