The
popular 1916 Standing Liberty quarter hails from an era that numismatic
researcher Roger W. Burdette has dubbed the "Renaissance of American
Coinage." The year 1916 saw the introduction of three designs that many collectors
agree number among the most beautiful ever struck in the United States Mint:
Adolph A. Weinman’s Mercury dime and Walking Liberty half dollar, and Hermon A.
MacNeil’s Standing Liberty quarter. The last named was also the last produced, with
the initial mintage only at the Philadelphia Mint and only to the extent of
52,000 pieces. As these first Standing Liberty quarters were struck late in
1916, the coins were released the following year along with the initial batches
of 1917 Type I examples. The simultaneous release seems to have resulted in the
1916 slipping past many Americans, as most set aside examples of the far more
plentiful 1917 Type I issue as keepsakes of the new design. The result is that,
while the high mintage 1917 Type I is one of the most available Standing
Liberty quarters in Mint State, the low mintage 1916 is one of the scarcest.
The
example featured in our May Whitman Expo auction has been certified by PCGS as
MS-66+ Full Head and has further been approved by CAC. The visual aesthetics
are outstanding. Intensely lustrous surfaces
exhibit a smooth, frosty texture throughout. The reverse is essentially brilliant,
while the obverse displays blushes of pale champagne-pink and reddish-russet
patina that are boldest at the border. Further, it has a sharp to full strike
that readily upholds the Full Head designation from PCGS. The inclusion
of this condition rarity Gem will confirm the significance of any collection.
This 1916
Standing Liberty quarter rarity is among the many highlights of our May 22-24 Official
Auction of the 2019 Whitman Coin & Collectibles Summer Expo. The sale will
be available for viewing and bidding on our website www.StacksBowers.com, or you may contact our offices to
secure a printed catalog. To speak with a numismatic representative, please
call 800-458-4646 or email [email protected]. Also, download our mobile app
to view and participate in our auctions via your Android or Apple device.
