1958 25C MS67 Certification #02697461, PCGS #5864

1958 25C MS66. John Flanagan owes his numismatic fame less to artistic merit than to the fact that he was a man in the man's world of the early 20th century. In 1931, the Treasury Department decided to follow in the footsteps of the Lincoln cent and issue a circulating coin honoring the bicentennial of President George Washington's birth. After an open competition that the Treasury conducted in association with the Washington Bicentennial Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts, judges chose Laura Gardin Fraser's masterful design. Even though art critics had admired Fraser's work since the introduction of the Oregon Trail commemorative half dollar in 1926, Treasury Secretary Andrew W. Mellon's male chauvinism prejudiced the design selection process from the start. His choice, the design by John Flanagan, was confirmed as the winner and upheld even after Ogden L. Mills succeeded to the post of Treasury Secretary in early 1932. While Fraser's superior design remains unknown to all but a handful of numismatic scholars, Flanagan's obviously inferior workmanship can still be admired (albeit in slightly modified form for the state quarter program) on the quarters of today. This piece is a beautiful Superb Gem whose fully lustrous surfaces display pastel antique-gold and soft powder-blue iridescence drifting over the shimmering obverse. The reverse is untoned save for a crescent of tan-russet color near the rim between 9 and 3 o'clock. The underlying mint frost radiates through both sides and both sides are free of even the most inconspicuous bagmark. The design features are well impressed and the above average striking quality completes the tantalizing eye appeal.

Charles Morgan

The 1958 Washington Quarter

The 1958 economic downturn, known as the “Eisenhower Recession,” was relatively brief but impactful. Lasting only eight months, its effects were largely mitigated by robust growth beginning in May 1958. However, because the slump originated in late 1957, it significantly curtailed the United States Mint’s production forecasts.

Consequently, the Philadelphia Mint struck only 6,360,000 quarters. This represented an 86% decline from the 46,532,000 coins issued in 1957. As a result, the 1958 Philadelphia issue became the second-lowest mintage of the  silver Washington Quarter series (1932–1964) and the 16th lowest in the entire series. Similar production declines were reported across all denominations in Philadelphia that year.

Despite the broader economic cooling, Uncirculated Coin Set sales remained resilient. After a slight slump in 1957, 1958 sales climbed to a then-record 50,314 sets- the highest volume since 1947. These sets were sold to collectors for $4.43 (approximately $45.50 adjusted for inflation). Today, these original sets typically trade between $275 and $325. Many of the finest known 1958 quarters originate from these sets, often featuring vibrant, multidimensional toning caused by the high sulfur content of the original paper packaging.

Additionally, the Philadelphia Mint utilized retired Proof dies for a significant portion of the 1958 production, resulting in numerous "Type B" Reverse varieties (#146067). Many of these business strikes exhibit distinct Semi-Prooflike surfaces.

Historic Market Insights

As monthly reports signaled a dramatic production deficit, collectors and dealers moved quickly to hoard rolls and bags directly from the Mint. This led to heavy speculation throughout the 1960s. By 1965, Illinois dealer Ray Kotansky was marketing Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) bags for $6,100. Due to this widespread preservation, thousands of original Uncirculated rolls remain, surfacing periodically on the market.

The PCGS Population Report reflects this hoarding trend. Aside from the 1932-D (#5790) and 1932-S (#5791) keys, only the 1947-S (#5835) shows similar certification patterns. Both the 1947-S and 1958 are submitted almost exclusively in Mint State, whereas approximately 10% of the certified population for the two key dates consists of circulated examples.

Recent Market Insights

Even before joining PCGS, I took a keen interest in monitoring the inflation of the PCGS MS67+ population. This rising supply, predictably, exerted downward pressure on prices. In 2020, a collector might have expected to pay approximately $850 for a MS67+, whereas by 2024–2025, a typical example realized closer to $350-$450. After analyzing our internal data, I discovered that the MS67+ population was overstated by 30 grading events due to the repeated resubmission of a single specimen. For whatever reason, none of the previous certification numbers were deactivated. My research indicates that once the population is adjusted for these plate-matched individual coins, the true number of unique specimens will fall below 50. While I will not disclose the specific coin, I can assure you that the 1958 Washington Quarter "top pop" census is far more stable than it previously appeared. Consequently, due to my audit of the data, the era of bargain pricing for this issue is likely coming to a close.

A Note About Color

A majority of the high-grade, toned 1958 Washington Quarters appearing on the market originated from Mint Sets, whereas most brilliant examples likely surfaced from original rolls. While roll-sourced coins typically top out in the PCGS MS66 range, nearly every PCGS MS67 and MS67+ specimen is a Mint Set toner.

 

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David Hall

The 1958 is the fourth lowest mintage 1941-1964 Washington quarter, yet it one of the most common in Gem condition. The low mintage caused a large number of original rolls to be saved by collectors and speculators in the year of issue. Today, all those saved rolls are the source of the many frosty white Gems that survive. There are also a number of beautifully toned Gems from original Government mint sets.