Any Reason Why There Isn't A 1938 D Quarter?

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Author	Replies: 6 / Views: 3,119
CoinHuntingDrew Pillar of the Community United States 4932 Posts	Posted 11/08/2015 6:28 pm The guy at my LCS was looking at Red Book prices when he priced the quarters I pulled out (don't worry, he didn't charge me over their spot price (13x face) on anything but a 1929 S quarter which worked out to be like a dollar over what they sell quarters for) He asked me why a 1938 was worth so much in "EF-40" condition, and I said I didn't have a clue, and plus Red Book prices can be funky at times too. I noticed there was an "error" in the book as there wasn't a 1938 D section. He had no idea either that they didn't make any quarters in Denver in 1938. I had to google it to find out that they didn't. However, is there any reason for this absence in striking? I know the mint stopped in quarters in 1933 and continued in 1934 with Philadelphia & Denver striking coins but San Francisco was absent and then things went back to normal. It's just weird how there's a skip in it, as it goes 1935pds, 1936pds,1937pds,1938PS,1939pds,1940pds and so forth until 1947. Report this Post to the Staff

DoubleEagle20 Pillar of the Community United States 1748 Posts	Posted 11/08/2015 6:38 pm There was a economic downturn in 1937-38. I would venture to say they were simply not needed. Probably the same reason why the 1938-D Walker mintage is so low. Report this Post to the Staff
ChildOfTheWheat Pillar of the Community United States 5828 Posts	Posted 11/08/2015 7:26 pm Quote: There was another economic downturn in 1937-38. Fixed your post 1938 D Wheats are also hard to find, but it is easy to find the P mint... Report this Post to the Staff
DoubleEagle20 Pillar of the Community United States 1748 Posts	Posted 11/08/2015 7:32 pm Good point, COTW. The 1937-38 recession was a recession inside of the Great Depression. Edited by DoubleEagle20 11/08/2015 7:34 pm Report this Post to the Staff
paralyse Bedrock of the Community United States 12057 Posts	Posted 11/08/2015 9:17 pm This would be a good subject to explore for a Numismatist article, or for an ANA exhibit "The Coins of 1938" or something similar. 1938 was a low or no mintage date for many Denver coins -- 1938-D is a semi-key date in Jefferson nickels, has two interesting varieties of Buffalo nickel (D/D and D/S), a low mintage date for Walking Liberty half dollars, a non-existent date for Washington quarters, a scarcer date for Wheat cents, and a slightly scarcer Mercury dime date (5.5m minted.) There were commemorative silver issues minted in 1938 (Texas, etc.) but they were low mintage as well. I do not know if anyone has ever investigated the reasons behind the Denver mint's low output in 1938; it's a subject worth exploring. Member ANA - EAC - TNA - SSDC - CCT #890 "Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done." -- Louis D. Brandeis Report this Post to the Staff
DoubleEagle20 Pillar of the Community United States 1748 Posts	Posted 11/08/2015 9:49 pm Looking at my RedBook...mintage for nickels in 1938 at the Denver mint was higher at around 12.4 million. It was split between Buffaloes and Jeffersons. You are right, paralyse. It would be a great topic for research. Report this Post to the Staff
Tryna Pillar of the Community United States 937 Posts	Posted 11/13/2015 2:19 pm if memory serves silver prices rose world wide in the years before WWII. ...from memory... around mid 1936 Germany's finance minister started to buy bullion and oil with money raised from grain and produce. Silver and gold started moving to Europe especially German accounts in Switzerland. The new demand raised prices and the lack of needed new coinage in the western US kept coinage low. It would appear that most of the demand for dimes and quarters could be filled with nickels, perhaps that is why more were produced. Durring the mid and late 1930's North and South American countries were actively selling metals and oil to Germany and Japan. Gotta go where the money is... Report this Post to the Staff
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