In many ways 1968 saw a return to normalcy at the U.S. Mint. The transition of silver to clad compositions from 1964 to 1965 placed pressure on the Mint’s resources as people hoarded the 90 percent silver dimes, quarter dollars and half dollars. The U.S. Mint also did not place Mint marks on coins from 1965 to 1967 in an effort to reduce collector demand, and it stopped minting Proof sets and Uncirculated Coin sets those years, instead producing?Special Mint sets. 

Inside Coin World: Finding a 1923-S Peace dollar in circulation: We preview columns exclusive to the Jan. 14 print and digital editions of Coin World, including “Found in Rolls” and “Detecting Counterfeits.”

The familiar D Mint mark of the Denver Mint returned in 1968 and the 1968-D quarter dollar saw a large mintage of just over 100 million. Examples were saved in 40-coin roll quantities by many, so even nice Mint State examples trade at a small premium over face value. A PCGS MS-66 example brought $5 in a December eBay auction and recent sales see MS-67 quarters trade for $35 to $40. 

PCGS has graded just one MS-67+ and 13 in MS-68 that are the finest certified by that service.

Registry set collectors seeking the finest known coins for their displays chase a seemingly limited supply, although remarkable auction prices may have prompted the the grading service submissions that have increased that supply.

Heritage offered an MS-68 example at its February 2018 Long Beach auction with “delicate, visually appealing shades of powder-blue, lemon-gold, and lavender patina over each side,” that realized $2,880. There it was described as being one of nine like-graded examples at PCGS. The population has since increased by four examples and GreatCollections sold the brilliant, untoned and lustrous PCGS MS-68 example shown above for $2,047.50 on Sept. 30, 2018. 

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