Washington Commemorative Quarter Proofs Roll of 40

In 1931, it was proposed that a commemorative half dollar be issued to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of our first president, George Washington. A competition was held, and a design by Laura Gardin Fraser was selected by the Fine Arts Commission. However, that decision was overruled by Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon, who gave the nod to a design by John Flanagan. Congress later directed that the new design should be used on the quarter rather than the half, and in 1932, the Washington Quarter made its initial appearance.

The coin proved quite popular with the public, and after a year’s hiatus in 1933, the Washington design returned in 1934 and replaced the older Standing Liberty Quarter, which had been in use since 1916. The earliest issues (1932-1934) had a very weak “In God We Trust” motto, and modifications to the hub in 1934 corrected the problem.

The Washington Quarter is currently one of our longest-lived designs, and celebrates its 85th anniversary in 2017. Modifications to the obverse were made in 1999 with the advent of the State Quarter program, and these have continued through the current “America the Beautiful” program.

This offering is for a full roll of 40 GW Commemorative Proof Silver Quarters.