The "King of the Washington Quarters", a 1932-D Washington Quarter graded MS66 by PCGS is one of the numerous highlights of Heritage Auction June 4 - 7 Long Beach Expo US Coins Signature Auction. The 1932-D Washington Quarter is the most challenging coin to find in high mint state condition for the entire Washington Quarter series.
The offering of this coin is far and away one of the most important events that Washington quarter collectors will experience. The 1932-D is widely known as the scarcer of the two first-year keys, particularly in high grades, but this landmark coin ranks with just two others as the finest known.
Its only rivals are another MS66 coin at PCGS and a single numerically equal example reported by NGC. The NGC coin has never been seen at auction, although it is possible the coin is in the current highest-ranking NGC Registry Set; confirmation is not currently possible, however, and it is equally possible that the coin has been crossed and is no longer in the NGC MS66 holder.
The other PCGS coin has only appeared at auction twice, and the collecting fervor it has generated each time has been worth keeping for the record books. Its first offering was in our August 2001 ANA Signature Auction where it realized an incredible $89,125. Later, it appeared in Bowers and Merena's April 2008 Chicago Rarities Sale and garnered a staggering bid of $143,750, a record price for any Washington quarter.
This magnificent, recently certified counterpart to the aforementioned example is here making its debut appearance. The Registry Set boost that this coin would provide is unequaled, especially in light of the fact that none of the current highest-ranking Registry Sets contain a 1932-D finer than MS65, and most house examples of significantly lower grades. The other PCGS MS66 coin went to a tightly held, private collection, and does not appear in the PCGS Set Registry.
This piece exhibits delicate, largely flawless satin surfaces with original luster residing beneath a thin veil of pale pastel toning. Only a microscopic tick hidden in Washington's hair is at all worthy of mention, even if only for the sake of accuracy. The design elements are boldly rendered and the overall eye appeal is excellent. The 1932-D is the biggest key date in the entire Washington quarter series, and this magnificent coin is well-deserving of the title: "King of the Washington Quarters."
Source: Heritage Auction
