1971 Washington Quarter
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 109,284,000 made
- Mintage
- 109,284,000
- 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 1971 Washington Quarter worth?
Worn examples are worth face value and can be spent. Keep it only if it looks uncirculated or shows a known variety.
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 1971 Washington Quarter rare?
- No. 109 million were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Is the 1971 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 1971 Washington Quarter?
- On the obverse, to the right of the ribbon behind Washington's hair. "P" appears from 1980. No mint mark means Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1971 are scarcer?
- None. Within five years either side, no Philadelphia issue had a smaller mintage than the 1971.
- How many 1971 Washington Quarter coins were made?
- 109,284,000.
What to check on your 1971
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1971-S Washington Quarter Proof (3,220,733 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 109 million made, the 1971 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 1971
Philadelphia made 109,284,000 in 1971, down from 136 million in 1970. The next year it made 215 million (1972).
1971-D came to 259 million, so neither mint's 1971 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Philadelphia struck the Washington Quarter in 64 issues between 1932 and 1998. By mintage this one lands in the scarcer half, while the key for that mint is the 1932 (5,404,000). No Washington Quarter of the 1970s had a smaller run.
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 1971
The Eisenhower dollar was introduced and the Kennedy half dollar changed to copper-nickel clad.
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 | 1971 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 109,284,000 |
| 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 1971 Washington Quarter issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 Washington Quarter | 109,284,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1971-D Washington Quarter | 258,634,428 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1971-S Washington Quarter Proof | 3,220,733 | Proof | – |
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.