1932 Washington Commemorative Quarter?

The link jbuck provided gives the historical facts ... BTW no Washington quarters were issued in 1933 as this was indeed intended to be a 1 year commemorative.

I enjoy the fact that Laura Garden Fraser original 'winning' quarter design was eventually resurrected by the US Mint and was featured on the 1999 George Washington Death Bicentennial $5 coin.



Which design do you prefer?

David

The story of the launch of the Washington quarter is certainly an interesting one. When information was initially released about a possible new 25-cent piece being struck in 1932 to mark George Washington's birth, the term "commemorative" was definitely used. Such public media use was carried over into the coin's authorizing legislation (Public Law 71-852) which reads as follows:

"..... the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized and directed, for the purpose of commemorating the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of George Washington, to change the design of the twenty-five-cent piece so that a portrait of George Washington shall appear on the obverse, with appropriate devices on the reverse, of said piece. The new coins shall be issued for general distribution beginning in 1932, the year of the said bicentennial anniversary."

While this text is strongly "commemorative" in its overall tone, it is also clear that its intention was "to change the design of the twenty-five-cent piece" in circulation beginning in 1932. As it did not stipulate an end-date for the striking of the new piece or a return to the previous design after 1932, it is easy to see how it can be viewed as a "circulation" coinage act. I believe this is Nail #1 in the coin's "commemorative coffin."

Nail #2: Though it initially announced the new 25-cent piece as a commemorative, The Numismatist -- the official journal of the American Numismatic Association and the leading numismatic journal of the time -- in September 1932 stated of the coin: "It should be remembered that although the coin commemorates the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of George Washington, it is not a commemorative coin as the term is generally used by collectors. It is a regular Government issue of a new design..." I believe from that point on, the non-commemorative fate of the Washington quarter was sealed for essentially all collectors.

I have read, on multiple occasions, the opinion of how the striking of a circulating commemorative coin beyond its commemorative year somehow removes its commemorative status. I think the first time I encountered this was in reference to the Australian commemorative crown issued in 1937 to mark the coronation of King George VI. In 1937 it was a commemorative, but in 1938, after additional pieces of the same design were struck to meet the needs of commerce, it "lost" its commemorative status and was henceforth typically considered a general issue.

I don't see why a coin has to lose its commemorative status if it is issued beyond its original commemorative year (we certainly have enough example of multi-year issues in the classic series!). To me, the Washington quarters ongoing use as our circulating 25-cent piece beginning in 1934 does not in any way cause the 1932 issue to lose its commemorative distinction.

Within my collection, I consider the 1932 Washington quarter a commemorative coin -- our second 25-cent commemorative -- and store my example, without hesitation, between my 1928 Hawaiian and 1934 Maryland.