1966 Quarter Value Guides (Rare Errors, “P” and No Mint Mark)

The 1966 quarter is a transitional coin minted during a severe coin shortage. Quarter coins were previously made from silver, but the United States Mint stopped producing silver coins starting in 1966. That year, the Mint made quarters from a copper-nickel alloy with a low bullion value. Interestingly, the coins had no mint marks, so you cannot tell from which mint a 1966 quarter came.

If you wonder whether your 1966 quarters are worth anything, you have come to the right place. In this article, you will learn the interesting history of the 1966 quarter, the 1966 quarter value, the coin’s features, and mintage errors.

So, let’s jump in!

1966 Quarter Value Chart
Mint Mark	Good	Fine	Extremely Fine	Uncirculated
1966 No Mint Mark Quarter	$0.27	$0.28	$0.71	0.88

 

History of 1966 Quarter

The United States Mint struck the 1966 quarter, also known as the Washington quarter, in 1932. That year, Congress established a bicentennial committee to organize a celebration for the 200^th anniversary of George Washington, the United States’ first president.

The committee proposed that a Washington half-dollar replace the Walking Liberty half-dollar. Instead, the Standing Liberty quarter was permanently replaced by what would eventually be the Washington quarter.

The designer for the new quarter coin was initially Laura Gardin Fraser. But in the end, the committee opted for a design by sculptor John Flanagan.

The new Washington silver quarters were in circulation by the start of August 1932. The Mint continued making the quarter coins in silver until 1965 when a major coin shortage and rising bullion values for silver metal necessitated major changes.

By the start of 1965, there was a huge demand for coinage, and the U.S. Mint needed more coins to keep up with the rising demand. At the same time, the value of a silver quarter rose past the coin’s face value due to an increase in the bullion value of silver.

Silver stackers collected and hoarded these coins to take advantage of the rising value of silver quarters, essentially removing almost 90% of them from circulation. This scenario replicated itself with silver dimes, half dollars, and dollars throughout the 1960s.

The U.S. Mint took several steps to relieve the coin shortage. First, starting in 1965 onwards, the silver dime and quarter were no longer made of silver and were instead struck in a copper-nickel combination.

The Mint also removed mintmarks from the coins. Although the San Francisco, Denver, and Philadelphia mints struck coins in the early 1960s, you would never know from which mint a coin came.

In addition, the U.S. Mint stopped producing mint and proof sets, focusing entirely on making circulation coins. But, the Mint produced special mint sets between 1965 and 1967, including the Washington quarters.

All in all, the U.S. Mint produced 821,101,500 1966 quarters to relieve the 1960s coin shortage.

 

Features of the 1966 Quarter

Let us now look at the unique features of the 1966 quarter.

The Obverse of 1966 Quarter

The obverse of a coin refers to the front or top of the coin. The obverse of the 1966 quarter features the portrait of George Washington’s left-facing head.

In the profile, the president has long hair tied in a low ponytail with a ribbon. The designer’s initials, J.F.,  for John Flanagan, are stamped at the profile’s truncation.

Around the top of the coin’s obverse is LIBERTY, and on the left, the motto ‘In God We Trust is inscribed in small letters.

Around below the coin is the date of issue, 1966.

The Reverse of the 1966 Quarter

The reverse of a coin is the back side, also known as the tail. The reverse of the 1966 Washington quarter features the American eagle with wings spread out.

The eagle faces forward as though looking at you straight in the face. The bird is perched on arrows supported by two olive branches.

Above and around the coin is the inscription: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Right below is the Latin motto: E Pluribus Unum, inscribed in small letters in two lines. In English, the motto translates to Out of many, one.

Around and below the coin, the coin’s value and denomination are inscribed as QUARTER DOLLAR.

Other Features of the 1966 Quarter

The Washington 1966 quarter’s metal composition entails 75% copper, 25% Nickel, and 100% copper at the center. It has a reed edge with 119 reeds.

The coin measures 24.3 millimeters in diameter and weighs 88 grains or 5.7 grams.

In terms of variety, the Special Mint Set is the only known variety of the 1966 quarter. The U.S. Mint produced 2,261,583 of the quarters in the special mint set.

The 1966 quarter had the D (Denver Mint) mint mark, S (San Francisco Mint), or No Mint mark (for coins that came from the Philadelphia Mint). It was only in 1980 that the minting facility added the P mint mark (Philadelphia Mint) to the quarter coin.

From 1932 to 1964, the mint mark on the quarter is on the back above the R in the word Quarter. From 1965 to 1967, the coins did not have any mint mark, and at the start of 1968, the U.S. Mint moved the mint mark to the front and right behind George Washington’s hair tie.

Check out this video to learn more about the features of a 1966 quarter.

 

1966 Quarter Value Guides

The condition and grade of a Washington 1966 quarter directly impact the coin’s value. Unless a 1966 quarter looks completely new, the coin is only worth face value. Cleaned, circulated, scratched, and damaged 1966 quarters are worth face value.

In average circulated (A.C.) condition, the Washington quarter is worth about 25 cents. A quarter in certified mint state (MS+) can fetch $33 or slightly more.

A Washington quarter can be worth as much as $400 if it is MS67 graded and certified by The Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) or the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC).

Interestingly a raw quarter or one that is ungraded and uncirculated is worth significantly less; it will generally sell at face value.

Before 1964, mint facilities made quarters from 100% silver. But, starting in 1964, the Mint stopped producing silver quarters, changing the metal composition to 91.67% copper and 8.33% nickel.

In addition, the Mint did not produce proof sets in 1966 and issued special proofs (S.P.) instead.

1966 No Mint Mark Quarter Value

The 1966 quarters had no mint mark on the obverse or reverse.

The U.S. Mint intentionally removed mint marks from the quarters this year to resolve the coin shortage caused by coin stackers hoarding the quarter coins at the time.

A common misconception is that a 1966 quarter with no mint letter is worth more than the face value. Aside from the mint mark, several factors significantly devalued the quarter.

The mint mark shows you from which mint the coin came. Usually, a coin without a mint mark would mean that it came from the Philadelphia mint. But, this was not the case with the 1966 quarter—the coins all did not have a mint mark.

The 1966 quarter is so common given that the U.S. Mint produced close to one billion of these coins, making their value pretty low.

So, in average circulated condition, the value of a 1966 quarter with no mint mark is about 25 to 50 cents, according to the PCGS.

1966 Melt Quarter Value

The melt value of a coin is the spot price of the metal from which a coin is made.

The 1966 quarters are made from copper and nickel, a metal combination whose bullion or melt value is lower than silver.

In particular, the Washington 1966 quarter is 91.67% copper and 8.33% nickel. This means that damaged or worn 1966 quarters are worth only their face value or the 25 cents engraved on the coin.

According to the Numismatic Guaranty Company, the melt value of the 1966 quarter is $0.05 as of November 1, 2022.

1966 Special Mint Set Quarter Value

In 1966, the U.S. Mint did not produce a proof set and instead substituted it with a Special Mint Set. Only 2,261,583 1966 quarters were produced in the special mint sets, making these coins popular among collectors.

The special mint sets for 1966 were produced at the San Francisco Mint but did not have the S mint mark because the government mint had suspended the use of mint marks.

The price of the quarters from the special mint set was $4, which has remained unchanged to date.

What makes special mint set coins popular is their brilliant finish that resembles a proof set. Some quarters from the special mint feature a cameo contrast. Collectors prize these cameo special mint set quarters, and the coins attract premium prices.

Related Post: 17 Most Valuable Modern Quarters Worth Money

 

1966 Quarter Error

The most common 1966 quarter errors are multi strikes, double die reverse, struck on dime planchet, struck on nickel planchet, struck on cent planchet, and struck through.

Strike on five-cent planchet: This 1966 quarter error coin was transposed onto a nickel planchet and missed some numbers and lettering on the top and bottom. But, this error coin has the same color and shape as the regular 1966 quarter. In the past, strike on five-cent planchet error coins have sold for up to $550.

Struck on cent planchet: This error was transposed on a 1C planchet. It misses a bit of the coin’s rim and some of the lettering and is red in color. In 1966, the area of the quarter coin was larger than the wheat center so that any error would leave out some of the letters. This error coin has fetched up to $900 in auctions.

The quarter struck on dime planchet: This error was also transposed on the wrong planchet; this time, it was on a dime planchet. The quarter die is bigger than a dime planchet, so transposing it on the smaller dime planchet resulted in at least 20% of the coin missing. This error coin has fetched an average of $500.

Clipped planchet: A clipped planchet error happens when the die strikes the coin’s edge causing it to clip or curve. Undamaged 1966 quarter-clipped planchet error coins have sold for $100 to $300.

1966 25C Struck on Cent Planchet – This error coin was struck on a red 1-cent planchet. In addition to being red, the coin also misses a bit of the rim and some letters. The reason is that the quarter is larger than the wheat cent for the 1966 edition. This error coin has sold for an average of $900.

Related Post: 16 Most Valuable Quarter Errors In Circulation

 

FAQ

Here is some more information about the value of the 1966 quarter.

How do I know if my 1966 quarter is worth anything?

The condition of your 19966 quarter will tell you whether it is worth anything. The truth is unless your 1966 quarter is in brand new condition with no damages, it is probably not worth much. There are too many of these coins, so they aren’t a rare collection. The 1966 quarters are also made from a copper-nickel clad; this metal is worth only the coin’s face value of 25c.

How much is a 1966 silver coin worth?

The 1966 silver quarters are extremely rare. If any exists, it is probably an error and may sell at a significant amount. If you identify such a coin, the only way to know whether it is worth much is to have it weighed and graded by a professional coin grader.

Where is the mint mark on a 1966 quarter?

The 1966 quarter does not have a mint mark. The U.S. Mint did not place mint marks on quarters that year to regulate collector activities and resolve the coin shortage. So, you will not see the typical D, S, or P mint marks on the coin and cannot tell from which mint the coin came.