1995-S Proof

The 1995-S proof Washington quarter was struck at San Francisco to a recorded mintage of 2,117,496 pieces, the lowest figure of the 1992 to 1998 Clad Proof run and a meaningful drop from the 2,484,594 of 1994. The slide reflects the steady migration of collector buying toward the parallel Silver Proof Set, which had been launched in 1992 as a premium-priced companion product and was steadily eating into standard-set demand by the middle of the decade. The S mintmark sits to the right of Washington's hair queue on the obverse, in the position adopted when mintmarks returned to the obverse in 1968. The issue is struck on cupronickel: 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel bonded to a pure-copper core at 5.67 grams. The companion 1995-S Silver Proof reverts to 90 percent silver at 6.25 grams in a separate set.

Authentication runs through the brilliant proof finish: deeply mirrored fields, crisp square-edged devices, and the squared rim that separates a proof from a circulation strike. The weight test cleanly separates the clad piece from its Silver Proof companion at 5.67 grams against 6.25, and edge inspection confirms the reading because the clad coin shows the reddish copper-core line along the rim while the silver coin shows uniform color through the edge profile. The Mint's mature die-preparation routine produced Deep Cameo, the heaviest contrast designation between mirrored fields and frosted devices, on most of the run, so PR69 and PR70 Deep Cameo examples are not difficult to source. Certification through PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, or NGC, the Numismatic Guaranty Company, is the standard for any premium-grade buy.

In the modern collecting landscape, the 1995-S Clad Proof is the low-mintage member of the 1992 to 1998 Clad Proof short set and carries a small premium over its neighbors at every grade tier, though the absolute prices remain modest. Most surviving examples grade PR68 through PR70 in Deep Cameo, with the meaningful pricing break at PR70. The audience runs to year-set builders pulling the 1968-onward proof run together, registry collectors chasing PR70 Deep Cameo top-pops, and clad-proof specialists working the pre-State-Quarter window. For the broader story of John Flanagan's design and the series' proof program, see the Washington Quarter series history.