1952 Superbird Washington Quarter

Coin collecting is undoubtedly a hobby full of imagination many times filled with wording many times recognized only by numismatists. In 1952, a proof Washington Quarter was produced containing a letter "S" on the eagle's chest on the reverse of the coin. Once, this was discovered, creative collectors and specialists with wild imaginations quickly referred to this anomaly as a Superbird Quarter as they compared it to the Superman hero character. Some believe the coin was produced intentionally by a mint employee perhaps in relation to the new Superman T.V. series which was widely popular at the time.

Currently the 1952 Superbird variety is quite scarce and with cameo or deep cameo surfaces it becomes even more scarce. Proof Washington Quarters from 1952 without the Superbird variety have also proved to be extremely difficult to find containing cameo and deep cameo surfaces. This date is considered to be one of the toughest dates in the 1950's for the Washington Quarter series with Cameo and Deep Cameo surfaces. As of today, the PCGS population report shows 11 total coins with the deep cameo designation out of more than 1800 total coins submitted. It is very likely most coins have already been reviewed by collectors and dealers to try to find examples with cameo and deep cameo surfaces as these coins usually command a significant premium over non cameo and deep cameo coins.

The population figures are a good indicator of the current scarcity of cameo and deep cameo quarters. The most recent population figures indicate the 1952 Quarter and 1950 deep cameo Quarters both have the lowest population figures for Washington Quarters obtaining the deep cameo designation. To make things more challenging for this date there is the elusive Superbird variety which commands a significant premium when it can be found. Currently the PCGS Price Guide shows a retail price of $135 for a regular 1952 Washington Quarter graded PCGS PR67 without any variety. For the 1952 Superbird variety graded PCGS PR67, an example sold recently in a public auction on May 31, 2008 for over $425. A big difference in pricing and definitely worth checking all proof 1952 Quarters for this elusive variety.

The 1952 Proof Washington Quarters have proved to be extremely challenging but yet very rewarding when found with the Superbird variety and more rewarding if found with cameo or deep cameo surfaces. Out of the 81,980 total proof sets produced for 1952, many sets have been broken apart for many years by enthusiasts and collectors in hopes of finding scare coins displaying cameo and deep cameo surfaces. Today, finding original unopened proof sets is very difficult but for knowledgeable collectors this provides a good opportunity to cherry pick the Superbird variety on opened sets, as many collectors are unaware of the Superbird variety and have only searched for the cameo and deep cameo coins. Additionally, the Superbird variety is currently only found on 1952 Proof Washington Quarters. The Superbird variety displays the letter "S" on the center of the Eagle's chest on the reverse of the coin. The top portion of the "S" is more prominent and the lower part of the "S" is more faint but still detectable with a 5X glass. This variety is now widely recognized by many variety specialists and many numismatic references as well as PCGS under the Variety Attribution program. It is definitely worth examining all 1952 proof sets or 1952 proof quarters, as finding the Superbird variety will not only make your day enjoyable but it will also be financially rewarding.