1967 25C MS64 Certification #44039157, PCGS #5880

Charles Morgan

The transition away from silver coinage led to unprecedented production in 1967. The total output of fractional coins reached a record high of 7.22 billion pieces, struck to combat the nationwide coin shortage of the mid-1960s.

1967 Circulation-Strike Coin Mintages

1967 Lincoln Memorial Cent (#2902) | Mintage: 3,048,667,100 

1967 Jefferson Nickel (#4079) | Mintage:107,325,800 

1967 Roosevelt Dime (#5132) | Mintage: 2,244,007,320

1967 Washington Quarter (#5880) | Mintage: 1,524,031,848

1967 Kennedy Half Dollar (#6710) | Mintage: 295,046,978

The 1967 Washington Quarter mintage of 1.52 billion was more than twice the highest mintage of any preceding 90% silver issue. However, this figure was still lower than the program's record-setting 1965 Washington Quarter (#5878) mintage of 1.82 billion coins.

Production and Mint Marks

These gargantuan mintages required the consolidated output from three facilities. The Mints' production figures for the 1967 Washington Quarter were:

• Philadelphia: 873,524,000
• Denver: 632,767,848
• San Francisco: 17,740,000

To discourage collector hoarding during this period (1965-1967), no mint marks were placed on any circulating coinage. 

Condition, Rarity, and the SMS Distinction

Circulated examples of the 1967 Washington Quarter (and the 1965 issue) were common until the mid-to-late 1980s, but today they are scarce in commerce and have no numismatic value. Mint State coins are the collector focus. These are more challenging to acquire in quantity due to a historical gap: the Mint did not produce Uncirculated Coin Sets in 1967 (sets were last sold in 1964 and resumed in 1968). While uncirculated 1967 business strikes are not genuinely rare, Gem (MS65 to MS66) and Superb Gem (MS67 and finer) quality examples demand effort to locate. Even quarters cherry-picked by submitters for their quality typically certify at MS65 or MS66 at PCGS. The current top certified grade is MS68.

The Special Mint Set (SMS) Confusion

Complicating the market is the fact that the U.S. Mint produced quasi-Proof coins for Special Mint Sets (SMS).

• SMS Mintage: 1,863,344 of these sets were produced in 1967.
• Identification: To the untrained eye, SMS coins can be mistaken for business strikes. The key differentiator is the glassy, reflective quality of the SMS coin's surfaces. By contrast, the true business strike may exhibit frosty or satiny surfaces with visible luster in Mint State. PCGS distinguishes between the two types, but sellers do not always note the distinction, requiring buyers to exercise caution.

* * *