1962-D

The 1962-D quarter came off the Denver presses at 127,554,756 pieces, more than triple the Philadelphia output of 39,374,019 and standing as the highest single-mint Washington quarter mintage to that date. The figure reflected accelerating commercial cash demand as silver prices began their early-1960s climb and as consumers and dealers started absorbing silver coinage out of circulation. The composition stays at 90% silver and 10% copper, a 6.25-gram blank yielding .1808 ounces of actual silver weight, and the D mintmark sits on the reverse below the wreath in this era. That reverse-mintmark placement runs through 1964 before the 1965 to 1967 mintmark suspension and the 1968 move to the obverse.

Strike quality on the 1962-D runs from average to good, with the era's typical softness on the eagle's breast feathers and Washington's hair above the ear. The D mintmark punch is the standard authentication checkpoint; examine it under five-to-ten-power magnification for any sign of an underlying letter ghost, particularly given the 1950-D D/S over-mintmark from earlier in the decade established a known precedent for die-shop irregularities on Denver quarters. Bag-marks are the everyday grader's complaint on the issue, since the Mint State pool survives primarily through original-roll preservation. Population reports at PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, show the date plentiful through MS65 thanks to the huge mintage, with a clear drop at MS66 and genuine scarcity at MS67 where registry-set demand pushes prices into four-figure territory.

The 1962-D is a common date in the modern catalog, set-fillable in circulated grades at small premiums over silver melt and obtainable in MS65 without effort. Toning enthusiasts seek out the relatively few examples that escaped the dipping cycle of the 1960s and 1970s, since original-skin Denver quarters of this vintage trade at strong premiums when the color is pleasing rather than spotty. Realistic acquisition is a certified MS65 or MS66 from a major auction, with the genuinely difficult upgrade target sitting at MS67 where examples thin sharply enough to draw four-figure money. 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.