USA 25 cents Washington Quarter 1957
USA, Philadelphia
Attributes of Coins
| Region | USA |
|---|---|
| Denomination | ¼ dollar |
| Krause number | KM# 164 |
| Metal | Silver 0.900 |
| thickness | 1.75 mm |
| diameter | 24.26 mm |
| weight | 6.25 g |
Obverse:
Head of state
Description:
George Washington (1st President of the USA)
Creators:
John Flanagan (JF)
IN GOD WE TRUST
LIBERTY
Reverse:
Bird
Description:
Eagle
Creators:
John Flanagan (JF)
E PLURIBUS UNUM
QUARTER DOLLAR
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Introduction of Coins
The speculative frenzy in proof sets that emerged during 1956 led to mass ordering of multiple 1957 sets. The Mint could have cut off sales at a more reasonable level, but it opted to go ahead and deliver all of the 1-1/4 million sets ordered. Some writers have speculated that this was done deliberately by the Mint to kill such speculation, but that seems unlikely. Whatever the reason, coin buyers were stunned into reality by this enormous mintage, and the speculative market collapsed immediately. This had a chilling effect on 1958's sales and made the 1957 set a drug on the market for at least 30 years. Another effect of such overproduction (for the time) was a drop in quality. The proof coins of 1957 often reveal obviously worn and overpolished dies that are lacking in detail and sharp delineation between field and devices. Fully brilliant proofs are very common in grades through PF 69, but the relative percentage of Cameo and Ultra Cameo pieces is lower for this date than in 1954-56. The latter designation is very rare for 1957 proof quarters.Read More
