The 1932-D Quarter (436,800 minted) and 1932-S Quarter (408,000, lowest mintage in the series) are a coveted pair for collectors. The 1932 Philadelphia Quarter has a mintage of 5,404,000 with no mintmark, of course, on the reverse, making it a target for added mintmark fakes.
In this article, we provide die markers so that you can check to ensure that your quarter is authentic.
These key dates are avidly sought by collectors, with the D and S quarters especially rare in uncirculated condition. Compare values compiled by PCGS CoinFacts:
1932-D Die Markers
The most obvious die marker concerns the filled mint mark (“D”) with visible serifs and bloated appearance, even in uncirculated grade:
Here’s how the mintmark looks in more common circulated grades (note you can see still serifs).
You should also look for die cracks on the reverse, especially near the eagle’s left wing or the motto “PLURIBUS.” Many but not all display this.
Almost all examples in very fine through uncirculated should have well-defined devices. (If mushy, you probably have a base metal China counterfeit.) Because of the low mintage, a very small number of working dies were used to mint this rarity. Research suggests only two obverse dies and two reverse dies were used.
Despite the low mintage, there are no major recognized doubled die or repunched mint mark varieties for the 1932-D, unlike other years in the series. So if you see an distinct RPM, again, you may have a counterfeit.
Another marker is a crack running from the hairline across Washington’s head on the obverse.
1932-S Die Markers
You may encounter difficulty identifying die markers for the 1932-S Washington Quarter as they primarily involve die cracks and scratches on both sides, with a key reverse marker being a crack at the word “PLURIBUS.”
Another marker is a scratch or die crack above the ‘3’ in the date, helping to distinguish genuine coins from counterfeits.
Counterfeit 1932 D and S
Identifying fakes in both quarters, look for casting bubbles (1. below), undefined rim (2.), wrong date placement (3.) and overall mushy appearance (4.)
On 1932-D, you’ll see a sharper mintmark on fake and added mintmark examples. Compare the “D” of the counterfeit quarter (left) with the genuine (right).
China has flooded the market with die struck base and silver counterfeits. High-quality Chinese counterfeiting operations produce 500,000 silver coins (including 1932 D and S) per month. Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) reports that thousands of fake 1932-D and 1932-S quarters are circulating.
If you are not an expert grader and are buying or bidding on raw coins, you should bypass raw 1932-D and S Quarters and buy ones graded by major holdering companies.
If you like posts like this, please go to our counterfeit archive with reports from Jack Riley, Jack D. Young, John Lorenzo and Michael Bugeja. Also, please subscribe so you can get our weekly newsletter and be informed whenever there is a new article or column.
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