Is the 1942-D Washington Quarter rare?

Not by date: 17 million were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.

Is the 1942-D Washington Quarter silver?

Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.1808 troy ounces of pure silver.

Where is the mint mark on a 1942 Washington Quarter?

On the reverse, below the wreath. On this coin the mark is D, for Denver.

Which Denver dates near 1942 are scarcer?

The 1940-D at 2,797,600, the 1939-D at 7,092,000, the 1937-D at 7,189,600, plus 6 more. So the 1942-D is one of the easier dates of its stretch.

Washington Quarter · Quarters

1942-D Washington Quarter

Circulation strike struck at the Denver Mint · 17,487,200 made

Silver

Mintage: 17,487,200
Metal: 90% silver, 10% copper
Weight: 6.25 g
Diameter: 24.26 mm

Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.

Pure silver0.1808troy oz

Value band: Metal value

Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.

What is a 1942-D Washington Quarter worth?

In worn condition it trades for about its silver content, 0.1808 troy ounces. Uncirculated coins with full luster or attractive toning sell for more.

What would make yours worth more:

Uncirculated condition with full original luster
A die variety or minting error

For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.

Quick answers

Is the 1942-D Washington Quarter rare?: Not by date: 17 million were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
Is the 1942-D Washington Quarter silver?: Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.1808 troy ounces of pure silver.
Where is the mint mark on a 1942 Washington Quarter?: On the reverse, below the wreath. On this coin the mark is D, for Denver.
Which Denver dates near 1942 are scarcer?: The 1940-D at 2,797,600, the 1939-D at 7,092,000, the 1937-D at 7,189,600, plus 6 more. So the 1942-D is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
How many 1942-D Washington Quarter coins were made?: 17,487,200.

What to check on your 1942-D

Make sure the mint mark really is a D. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1942-S (19 million made).
Don't clean it. Cleaning leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1942 Washington Quarter Proof (21,123 made) is the one to compare with.
Judge the grade under good light. Wear starts on the hair above Washington's ear and on the eagle's breast feathers.

Circulated examples are usually traded for their silver content. Pick out the best ones: original luster and attractive toning lift a coin above melt, while cleaned coins lose most of their collector value.

The story of the 1942-D

Denver made 17,487,200 in 1942, about the same as the year before. In 1943 the figure was 16 million.

The other mints made far more that year: 1942 alone came to 102 million, roughly 5.8 for every 1942-D. That makes the 1942-D the scarcer 1942 coin, though still a common one.

Across Denver's 60 Washington Quarter issues, the hardest to find is the 1932-D with 436,800 made. The 1942-D is on the scarcer side of the middle. Within the 1940s it's 18th smallest of 29, between the 1945-S (17 million) and the 1942-S (19 million).

Wartime quarters in record numbers (1941 to 1945)

World War II brought full employment and heavy coin demand. Philadelphia's output jumped from 35.7 million in 1940 to 79 million in 1941 and passed 100 million in 1942 and 1944, while Denver and San Francisco struck between about 12 and 21.7 million each year. Unlike the nickel, the quarter kept its 90 percent silver composition throughout the war.

Doubled die obverses are known for the 1942-D and 1943-S. A 1943 Philadelphia doubled die also exists. Proof quarters ended after 1942 and did not return until 1950. Most wartime quarters circulated hard and now turn up in silver lots with moderate wear. Uncirculated rolls were saved in quantity, so even the branch mint dates of these years are available in mint state.

Elsewhere in US coinage in 1942

Nickel was needed for the war, so from October 1942 the five-cent coin was struck in an alloy of copper, silver and manganese. These war nickels carry a large mint mark above Monticello, the first use of a "P" mint mark.

How to recognize it

John Flanagan's portrait shows George Washington facing left with LIBERTY above, IN GOD WE TRUST to the left and the date below. The reverse shows an eagle standing on a bundle of arrows above two olive branches, with QUARTER DOLLAR along the bottom. The mint mark was below the wreath on the reverse until 1964 and on the obverse behind Washington's hair from 1968.

Mintage chart

Washington Quarter mintages, 1942-D highlightedLog scale · hover or tap a bar · 1932–1998

Specifications

Series	Washington Quarter (1932–1998)
Year	1942
Mint	Denver Mint
Mint mark	"D"
Strike type	Circulation strike
Mintage	17,487,200
Face value	25¢
Composition	90% silver, 10% copper
Weight	6.25 grams
Diameter	24.26 mm
Edge	Reeded
Silver content	0.1808 troy oz (5.625 g)
Designer	John Flanagan

Other 1942 Washington Quarter issues

Coin	Mintage	Type	Silver
1942 Washington Quarter	102,096,000	Circulation strike	0.1808 oz
1942 Washington Quarter Proof	21,123	Proof	0.1808 oz
1942-D Washington Quarter	17,487,200	Circulation strike	0.1808 oz
1942-S Washington Quarter	19,384,000	Circulation strike	0.1808 oz

Mintage: Washington quarter mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.