1946-D Washington Quarter
Circulation strike struck at the Denver Mint · 9,072,800 made
- Mintage
- 9,072,800
- 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.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1946-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 1946-D Washington Quarter rare?
- Not in absolute terms: 9.1 million were made. It is one of the smaller runs in the series, though, so uncirculated examples are worth a little more than most dates.
- Is the 1946-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 1946 Washington Quarter?
- On the reverse, below the wreath. On this coin the mark is D, for Denver.
- Which Denver dates near 1946 are scarcer?
- None. Within five years either side, no Denver issue had a smaller mintage than the 1946-D.
- How many 1946-D Washington Quarter coins were made?
- 9,072,800.
What to check on your 1946-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 1946-S (4.2 million made).
- Don't clean it. Cleaning leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
- 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 1946-D
Output at Denver slipped to 9,072,800 in 1946, from 12 million the year before. In 1947 the figure was 15 million.
The other mints made far more that year: 1946 alone came to 53 million, roughly 5.9 for every 1946-D. That makes the 1946-D the scarcer 1946 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 1946-D is on the scarcer side of the middle. Within the 1940s it's 5th smallest of 29, between the 1940-S (8.2 million) and the 1949 (9.3 million).
Postwar silver to the end (1946 to 1964)
Production slowed after the war. San Francisco made no quarters in 1949 and struck its last S-marked circulating quarters in 1954. The 1955-D, at 3,182,400, is the lowest mintage of these years. The 1958 Philadelphia run of 6,360,000 is also low. The 1950-D/S and 1950-S/D varieties show one mint mark punched over another and are the best known varieties of the period.
Mintages rose through the late 1950s and early 1960s, then exploded in 1964 when more than 1.26 billion were struck at Philadelphia and Denver. Quarters dated 1964 continued to be made into 1966 to frustrate hoarders. Proofs resumed in 1950 and topped one million in most years from 1957. Every quarter of these years is 90 percent silver and weighs 6.25 grams. Worn examples still turn up in old jars and are usually sold for their silver.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1946
The Roosevelt dime was introduced in January 1946, less than a year after President Franklin Roosevelt's death, honoring his work with the March of Dimes.
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 | 1946 |
| Mint | Denver Mint |
| Mint mark | "D" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 9,072,800 |
| 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 1946 Washington Quarter issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 Washington Quarter | 53,436,000 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
| 1946-D Washington Quarter | 9,072,800 | Circulation strike | 0.1808 oz |
| 1946-S Washington Quarter | 4,204,000 | 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.