1981-P Washington Quarter
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 601,716,000 made
- Mintage
- 601,716,000
- 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 1981-P 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 1981-P Washington Quarter rare?
- No. 602 million were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Is the 1981-P 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 1981 Washington Quarter?
- On the obverse, to the right of the ribbon behind Washington's hair. "P" appears from 1980. On this coin the mark is P, for Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1981 are scarcer?
- The 1977 at 468,556,000, the 1982-P at 500,931,000, the 1979 at 518,708,000, plus 2 more. So the 1981-P is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1981-P Washington Quarter coins were made?
- 601,716,000.
What to check on your 1981-P
- Make sure the mint mark really is a P. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1981-D (576 million made).
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1981-S Washington Quarter Proof (4,063,083 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 602 million made, the 1981-P 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 1981-P
At 601,716,000, the 1981 run at Philadelphia was close to the 1980 figure. The next year it made 501 million (1982-P).
1981-D came to 576 million, so neither mint's 1981 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 more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1932 (5,404,000). Within the 1980s it's 13th smallest of 20, between the 1988-D (597 million) and the 1983-D (618 million).
The eagle returns before the state quarters (1977 to 1998)
The eagle reverse came back in 1977. From 1977 to 1979 the West Point facility struck quarters for circulation without any mint mark, so they cannot be told apart from Philadelphia coins. A P mint mark first appeared on quarters in 1980. From then on every circulating quarter shows the mint that struck it.
Mintages of 1982 and 1983 were large, but the Mint issued no uncirculated sets in those years, so few were saved. Well-preserved examples of both years are hard to find. Silver proofs in 90 percent silver returned in 1992 alongside the clad proofs. Mintages climbed past one billion at Denver in 1995. The 1998 quarter was the last with Flanagan's eagle reverse. In 1999 the 50 State Quarters program replaced it with rotating designs.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1981
Susan B. Anthony dollars were made only for collector sets, ending the design until a final run in 1999.
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 | 1981 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | "P" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 601,716,000 |
| 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 1981 Washington Quarter issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-P Washington Quarter | 601,716,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1981-D Washington Quarter | 575,722,833 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1981-S Washington Quarter Proof | 4,063,083 | 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.