1935-S 25C MS66 Certification #10002341, PCGS #5799

Charles Morgan

The 1935-S Washington Quarter

1935 marked the third year of production for the Washington Quarter, a design introduced in 1932 to commemorate the bicentennial of George Washington’s birth. While the coin is now a staple of American commerce, the movement to honor the nation’s first president began in 1924, when President Calvin Coolidge signed legislation authorizing the United States George Washington Bicentennial Commission. Tasked with planning the 1932 festivities, the Commission initially proposed a one-year commemorative half dollar. However, these plans pivoted during the economic hardship of the Great Depression. On March 4, 1931, Congress passed new legislation instructing the Treasury to instead issue a circulating quarter bearing Washington’s likeness.

This shift was driven by more than just the bicentennial; the incumbent Standing Liberty Quarter was notoriously difficult to strike and prone to rapid die failure. Seizing the opportunity for a technical upgrade, Representative Randolph Perkins (R-NJ) successfully championed the bill to replace the Standing Liberty design permanently with the more "Mint-friendly" Washington Quarter.

Collecting the 1935-S Washington Quarter

In 1935, the United States Mint resumed robust production across all three facilities:

• Philadelphia: 35,484,000
• San Francisco: 5,660,000
• Denver: 5,780,000

For the San Francisco Mint, its production of the 1935-S marked its highest quarter output since 1920. 

Motto Mayhem

During the first few years of the Washington Quarter's production, the Mint struggled with the execution of the motto, IN GOD WE TRUST. The original design did not strike up well, as the thin lettering tended to wear off the dies prematurely. Efforts to remediate this technical flaw led to several hub adjustments, which collectors now categorize by the visual "weight" of the font: the "Light Motto," "Medium Motto," and the definitive "Heavy Motto" adopted in 1936.

The 1935-S Washington Quarter (#5799) is particularly significant as it utilized dies derived from the "second transitional" hub. While the lettering remains relatively slim compared to the robust 1936 issues, the motto on the 1935-S is notably sharper and more defined than the "soft" strikes characteristic of the original 1932 dies.

Tough in Gem

For decades, the 1935-S was considered the second-most difficult S-mint Washington Quarter to source in Gem condition. Modern data from the PCGS Population Report confirms this long-standing numismatic opinion; while the 1939-S (#5810 remains a formidable challenger, the 1935-S maintains its reputation as the tougher of the two for collectors seeking high grade coins.

 

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David Hall

The 1935-S is one of the rarest Washigtons S-Mints in Gem condition. It is obviously not as rare as the 1932-S, but after that only the 1937-S is close in rarity to the 1935-S. Some mint state examples are softly struck, but sharply struck white luster Gems are available with some frequency.