The Washington 1965 Quarter with No Mint Mark: A Story of Change
It would seem that numismatists should know all the features of coins, but at the same time, novice collectors take up this business only from the point of view of the body of the coins, without delving into the laboratory at all.
But at such moments, this is almost the most basic thing a numismatist can know, at least to be more confident in bringing down or raising the price at auctions. If you don't know that there is only a 1965 quarter no mint mark, then you will be happy to receive a token with D or S mint marks and even at a discount.
The History Background: The Silver Problem and Coin Lack
The Price of Silver Went Up
The US money system used two main metals, and silver included, so the Washington quarter dollar, and also the ten-cent and fifty-cent coins, were made from a metal mix 90% silver and 10% copper until the year 1965.
However, when the 1960s began, the market price for silver started to grow slowly but strongly, so the value of the silver inside came close to being higher than the face value.
Many people started keeping the coins at home in large numbers, because they thought the metal price would keep growing in the future.
The Law Answer
Because many people kept the coins, there was a big coin shortage — the shops did not have enough change, and buying and selling things every day became difficult, and the US government could not keep putting new silver coins into use that would disappear right away, so they decided that the only possible way to fix the problem was to stop using expensive metals in coins for common use.
The end result of this decision was the Coinage Act of 1965, which President Lyndon B. Johnson signed on July 23, 1965, and this law officially ended the 173-year tradition of making silver coins for everyday use.
The 1965 Coin Law and The New Metal Mix
The law from 1965 did more than just change the metal mix; it also started several rules that were meant to make the crisis less bad and stop people from trying to make money from the coins.
The Clad Metal Mix
The Mix: 75% copper and 25% nickel
The Middle: 100% pure copper
Because of this, the 1965 coin was covered by a copper-nickel mix on both sides, and the whole coin was about 91.67% copper and 8.33% nickel by weight, making the coin look a bit like silver.
The Change in Technical Things
When the Washington coin changed from silver to the layered metal, its physical qualities also changed a little:
Silver Quarter (before 1964): Weighed 6.25 grams.
Layered Quarter (from 1965): Weighed 5.67 grams.
Thickness: The layered quarter also became a little bit thicker, needed to make up for the metal not being as heavy.
The Missing Mint Mark Was The Plan
Why is there no mint mark?
During the coin shortage, the government decided to make it as hard as possible to collect the new coins and try to sell them for profit, because they thought that if the coins had mint marks, collectors would try to get coins from every mint and every year, which would mean the coins would go back into use slower.
Therefore, the 1965 Law stopped the use of mint marks on all common coins — dimes, quarters, and half dollars — from 1965 to 1967 for a short time.
This means that the 1965 quarter, which was made in both the Philadelphia Mint and the Denver Mint, was required by law to have no mint mark.
The total number of quarters with the date ‘1965’ was 1,818,000,000 coins, meaning that the 1965 coin became one of the most common coins in American history.
Coin Value and Rare Errors
The 1965 Silver Transitional Error
The Mint factories still had some 90% silver blanks left over from 1964.
In a few, very rare cases, because of a mistake by workers or a machine problem, the stamp with the date ‘1965’ was used to make a coin on a 90% silver blank.
The Signs of the Mistake:
The Date: 1965
The Metal: 90% silver (weight is about 6.25 g)
The Mint Mark: Absent
And in our century, many collectors rely on ASW when buying silver coins, because it is literally a contribution to precious metals, and in addition to face value, the value of a coin can also change every minute depending on the value of the metal.
Other Types of Mistakes
The Layers Come Off: Because the metal layers did not stick well, the outer layer can sometimes start to come off the copper middle.
Double Die: The letters or parts of the picture look a little bit double.
Off-Center Strikes: The coin wasn’t hit in the middle, so part of it is blank.
The Design: The Washington Quarter
It is important to remember that the picture on the coin stayed the same, even though the metal changed completely.
The Front Side
The obverse of the coin, made by John Flanagan, shows the face of the first US President, George Washington, looking to the left.
Above the President’s head is the word "LIBERTY"
On the left side, under his chin, is the national motto "IN GOD WE TRUST"
Under his picture is the year the coin was made – 1965
The Back Side
The reverse shows a bald eagle holding arrows and an olive branch, being ready for war but wanting peace.
Above the eagle are the words: "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA"
Under the eagle: "E PLURIBUS UNUM"
At the bottom is value: "QUARTER DOLLAR"
The Washington design, which first started in 1932, is one of the oldest designs that is still used in American history, and it continued to be used even after the metal changed to the new mix.
What the 1965 Quarter Means
The Time of Expensive Metal: When coins had high value inside from the silver.
The Time of Money Value: When the coin's value is only real because people trust the government and the number written on it.
Small Information Box:
Date: 1965
Metal: Layered
Mint Mark: Missing
How Many Were Made: More than 1.8 billion pieces
The Most Rare Type: The 1965 quarter made on a silver disc
The fact that the mint mark is missing on this coin is a sign of the time, people were worried, and the government worked hard to make the money system stable again.
Numismatics is basically a matter of watching, but sometimes it's not enough.
You also need to understand the background of each series, because in each series there will be several coins that differ significantly from previous or subsequent issues: as in this case, the composition of the 1965 coin is completely different from the composition of 1964.
