Description

A quarter, short for quarter dollar, is a U.S. coin worth 25 cents, one-fourth of a dollar. It has been produced since 1796. The choice of 1⁄4 as a denomination — as opposed to the 1⁄5 more common elsewhere — originated with the practice of dividing Spanish milled dollars into eight wedge-shaped segments. At one time "two bits" (that is, two "pieces of eight") was a common nickname for a quarter.

The Washington Quarter Dollar of 1932 was originally intended to be a commemorative coin to celebrate the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth. The coin proved so popular that the design was continued as a regular-issue for circulation beginning in 1934.

There have been three significant changes in the series since its inception in 1932. In 1965, the composition was changed from 90% silver to a clad or “sandwich metal” of 75% copper and 25% nickel, bonded to a pure copper core. The second modification came in 1975, when Jack Ahr’s Bicentennial “Drummer Boy” design appeared on the reverse, with the dual-date 1776-1976 on the obverse. In 1977, the regular design returned.

After 1964, silver quarters would not be struck again until 1975, when 40 percent silver proof and uncirculated Bicentennial quarters were offered to coin collectors in special sets. 90 percent silver quarters wouldn’t resurface until 1992, upon the launch of the annual silver proof set offering.