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Hi there, this is Queen Week editor
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Charles Morgan and today we're looking
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at a 1934D Washington quarter with a
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media motto. In 1932, the Washington
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quarter was minted in such large numbers
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that no additional coins were needed
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After its debut, however, the mint
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refined the averse hub to strengthen the
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motto's lettering, which had been weak
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and wore down quickly on the 1932 coins.
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In 1934, the Philadelphia Mint produced
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quarters of three varieties. The light
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motto, similar to the 1932 design, the
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medium motto with sharper detail but
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similar sizing, and the heavy motto,
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featuring bold, thicker lettering of a
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god we trust. The Denver Mint received
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dies for the 1934 D Washington quarter
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in medium and heavy motto types. No
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light motto 1934D quarters are known to
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exist. That year, Denver struck
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quarters, its highest output since the
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Standing Liberty quarter. Production
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likely ran from the summer until late
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1934, using both varieties. Of the two,
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the heavy motto is rarer and more
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valuable. As this coin was struck during
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the Great Depression, most examples of
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the date were issued into circulation
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and spent. Because of that, there are
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not great big accumulations of
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uncirculated examples to choose from. In
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fact, in mintstate condition, the
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leading grading services only report
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several hundred examples per grade
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After that grade, the coin becomes
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conditionally scarce with MS-67 plus
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being the top grade awarded by any of
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the services. A decent looking MS-64 or
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MS-65 coin graded by PCGSCAC or NGC can
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be purchased for as little as $350.
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This example is graded MS67 plus and is
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one of the finest known. It sold in
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March 21, 2023 for $9,600.
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For Coin Week, I'm editor Charles
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Morgan. Till next time, happy
