1939 Washington Quarter

With the economic woes of the Great Depression waning, 1939 saw stepped-up production of the Washington quarter, with more than 40 million pieces minted that year across all three then-operating mints (Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco). As was usual for the series throughout the 1930s, whenever a branch mints had been involved, their production had been significantly lower than the Philadelphia mintage. There was no exception to that rule in 1939, when Philadelphia minted the vast majority of quarters during that year, meaning relatively small mintages for the Denver and San Francisco issues. In fact, the 1939-D and 1939-S Washington quarters are considered semi-key dates by coin collectors.

The following are mintage and value data for 1939 Washington quarters:

• 1939, 33,540,000 minted; $8

• 1939 proof, 8,795; $425

• 1939-D, 7,092,000; $14

• 1939-S, 2,628,000; $24

*Values are for coins in Extremely Fine-40 grade unless otherwise noted.

Values for the regular-issue coins in MS-63 are substantially higher than the XF-40 prices listed above. The Philadelphia issue costs around $30, while the Denver and San Francisco versions are around $60 and $140, respectively. Be sure to buy the best pieces you can afford, and settle for nothing less than problem-free specimens with good color and great detail.