'Coveted' 1965 Washington quarter error sells
- Published: Nov 11, 2014, 11 PM

Stack’s Bowers Galleries’ Oct. 30 Rarities Night auction held during the Whitman Baltimore Expo was led by the 1853 Collection, but also included a variety of other numismatic items with fascinating stories.
Here is one of three coins from the auction we're profiling in this week's Market Analysis.
The Lot:
1965 Washington quarter dollar, wrong planchet error, About Uncirculated 53
The Price:
$7,050
The Story:
The period between 1964 and 1965 was a busy time at the U.S. Mint as it transitioned away from 90 percent silver dimes, quarter dollars and half dollars, moving the first two to a copper-nickel clad composition and the half dollar to a silver-copper clad composition (40 percent silver). As a result, a few 1965 coins struck on planchets intended for the pre-1965 90 percent silver issues are known. These are coveted by collectors. The error type is also sometimes called a “wrong metal” error.
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This 1965 Washington quarter dollar is struck on a 90 percent silver planchet and graded About Uncirculated 53 by Professional Coin Grading Service. The lot description notes, “Brilliant silver surfaces with a bit of light wear from a short time in circulation prior to it being noticed as something special and saved.” A different example, graded Extremely Fine 45, brought $5,462.50 at a September 2010 Heritage auction.
Washington quarter: The Washington quarter dollar, which has been circulating since 1932, was born out of the Treasury Department's desire to produce a coin to mark the bicentennial of the birth of the first president of the United States. How much are Washington quarters worth?
Possibly the most noteworthy examples of wrong metal/planchet errors are with the 1943 Lincoln cents struck on copper alloy planchets rather than the zinc-plated steel planchets that were used that year.
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