1966 Washington Quarter
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 821,101,500 made
- Mintage
- 821,101,500
- Metal
- Copper core clad in 75% copper / 25% nickel
- Weight
- 5.67 g
- Diameter
- 24.26 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1966 Washington Quarter worth?
In circulated condition it's worth face value. Only uncirculated coins with full original luster, or a recognized variety, carry a premium.
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 1966 Washington Quarter rare?
- No. With 821 million made, it's one of the most common Washington Quarters.
- Is the 1966 Washington Quarter silver?
- No. It's copper core clad in 75% copper / 25% nickel. Quarters dated 1964 and earlier are 90% silver.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1966 Washington Quarter?
- No mint mark. Mint marks were suspended in 1965–1967.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1966 are scarcer?
- The 1962 at 36,156,000, the 1961 at 37,036,000, the 1963 at 74,316,000, plus 5 more. So the 1966 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1966 Washington Quarter coins were made?
- 821,101,500.
What to check on your 1966
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- There is no mint mark to look for. The Mint omitted mint marks from 1965 to 1967, so coins struck at Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco look identical.
- Proof or circulation strike? A collector strike has a satin or special finish and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1966 Washington Quarter SMS (2,261,583 made) is the one to compare with.
- A face that's fully copper colored could be a missing clad layer error. Patchy discoloration is usually damage.
- Judge the grade under good light. Wear starts on the hair above Washington's ear and on the eagle's breast feathers.
With 821 million made, the 1966 still turns up in everyday change. Keep yours only if it looks uncirculated or shows a variety; otherwise it's worth face value.
The story of the 1966
Philadelphia made 821,101,500 in 1966, down from 1.8 billion in 1965. The next year it made 1.5 billion (1967).
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1966 you find is from Philadelphia.
Philadelphia struck the Washington Quarter in 64 issues between 1932 and 1998. By mintage this one lands in the more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1932 (5,404,000). Within the 1960s it's 15th smallest of 17, between the 1964-D (704 million) and the 1967 (1.5 billion).
Clad quarters and the mint mark move (1965 to 1974)
The 1965 quarter dropped silver for a pure copper core clad in copper-nickel, weighing 5.67 grams. No mint marks were used from 1965 through 1967 and Special Mint Sets replaced proof sets. Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco all struck circulation quarters in those years, so the mint of an individual coin cannot be identified.
From 1968 the mint mark moved to the obverse, to the right of Washington's ribbon. San Francisco took over proof production that year. Transitional errors such as 1965 quarters struck on 90 percent silver planchets are rare and are confirmed by weight. Denver struck more than 417 million quarters in 1970. The 1974 issue was the last with the eagle reverse before the bicentennial design. No quarter carries a 1975 date.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1966
Mint marks were still omitted on circulating coins and Special Mint Sets continued in place of proof sets.
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
Specifications
| Series | Washington Quarter (1932–1998) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1966 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 821,101,500 |
| Face value | 25¢ |
| Composition | Copper core clad in 75% copper / 25% nickel |
| Weight | 5.67 grams |
| Diameter | 24.26 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Designer | John Flanagan |
Other 1966 Washington Quarter issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 Washington Quarter | 821,101,500 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1966 Washington Quarter SMS | 2,261,583 | Special Mint Set | – |
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.