United States 1920-S quarter dollar
The Standing Liberty quarter was introduced in late 1916 to supersede the Barber quarter. It was modified in 1917 to give Liberty a breastplate and again in 1925 to put the date in a recess. However, the mint was rarely able to give the design a full strike (a problem with the other denominations as well) and it was retired in 1932 in favor of the familiar Washington quarter. This specimen was lot 4436 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Oklahoma City, OK, August 2025), where it sold for $5,040. The catalog description[1] noted, "1920-S Standing Liberty Quarter. MS-66 (PCGS). Bright and frosty surfaces are brilliant apart from blushes of peripheral champagne-gold and pale rose. Boldly to sharply defined in most areas with an impressively smooth appearance overall. With a relatively modest mintage of 6.3 million coins, the 1920-S is one of the key issues in the Standing Liberty quarter series and a particularly difficult one to locate in the finest Mint State grades. This upper end Gem will delight advanced collectors. PCGS Population: 24; 9 finer in this category (MS-67+ finest)."
Recorded mintage: 6,380,000.
Specification: 6.25 grams, 0.900 silver and 0.100 copper, 24.3 mm diameter, reeded edge, designed by Hermon MacNeil.
Catalog reference: KM 145.
- Alexander, David T., Coin World Comprehensive Catalog & Encyclopedia of United States Coins, Sidney, OH: Amos Press, 1995.
- Breen, Walter H., Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U. S. and Colonial Coins, New York: Doubleday, 1987.
- Yeoman, R. S., and Kenneth Bressett (ed.), A Guide Book of United States Coins, 65th Ed., Atlanta, GA: Whitman Publishing, 2011.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Summer 2025 Global Showcase Auction: Session 8: U.S. Coins Part 1: Half Cents Through Half Dollars - Lots 4001-4586, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2025.
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