LOT #3539 |
Current Bid: $10,500
Undated 25C Washington Quarter Mule -- Struck With Two Reverse Dies -- MS64 NGC....
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Description
'Two-Tailed' Washington Quarter Mule, MS64
Struck With Two Reverse Dies
Previously Unknown Specimen
Undated 25C Washington Quarter Mule -- Struck With Two Reverse
Dies -- MS64 NGC. Many collectors consider mules -- coins
struck with mismatched dies -- to be the proverbial Holy Grails of
U.S. coin errors. Only a few dozen are collectively known across
all types, series, and denominations. Perhaps the most famous mule
is the Sacagawea dollar struck with a Washington State quarter
obverse die. Approximately 18 examples of that specific mule exist.
Others include various Lincoln cents struck with Roosevelt dime
reverses. But the rarest of the mules are those "double sided"
coins struck with two obverse or two reverse dies. One of these is
the clad Washington quarter struck with two reverse dies, of which
only a handful are known.The first of these Washington quarter reverse die mules was discovered in 2001, and later that year a second example was reported. Both of those coins were subsequently certified by NGC as MS63. More than a decade later, in 2017, PCGS certified another piece in MS62. A similar piece, certified MS66 NGC as struck with two reverse dies with an additional indent, was offered in our auctions in 2006.
The present piece, certified by NGC as MS64, is a new discovery of this magnificent mule. It was acquired by our consignor a number of years ago as part of an estate sale purchase, where it was in a collection of other U.S. coins. This mule was raw at the time, housed in a simple paper envelope, and was subsequently certified at NGC. Unfortunately, its origins prior to appearing in that estate offering are unknown. Existing scholarship on these "two-tailed" mules is that they were struck at the San Francisco Mint during the 1965-1967 coinage era when mintmarks were not used, but concrete details are yet to be unearthed.
The other two-tailed quarter mules were not available for comparison by this cataloger, but studying images of two of the other pieces suggests this MS64 coin was struck with the same dies, and thus likely was struck at the same time. The facing side as slabbed in the NGC holder is from the worn and flow-lined die, while the opposite side is from the slightly reflective die with heavy striations in the fields. It also has a perfect coin alignment. A generally sharp strike adorns each side, though some weakness appears on the eagle's wing tips and on the final A in AMERICA. Eye appeal is certainly spectacular for the grade.
Ex: Purchased raw from an estate, later certified at NGC; consigned to Heritage's November 2025 Dallas Signature Auction (9/2025).
Auction Info
2025 November 13 - 14 US Coins Signature® Auction #1387 (go to Auction Home page)
Proxy Bidding Ends
November
13th
Thursday
5:50 pm CT
Auction Dates
November
13th-14th
Thursday-Friday
Proxy Bidding Time Remaining
12 Days
14h 17m 59s
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 26
Lot Tracking Activity: 82
Page Views: 704
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
20% of the successful bid (minimum $29) per lot.
This lot is in: 2 -
Signature® Premier Floor Session (Live Floor, Live Phone, Mail, Fax, Internet, and Heritage Live):
(Lots 3464-3713) - 6:00 PM Central Time, Thursday, November 13, 2025.
[Proxy bidding ends ten minutes prior to the session start time. Live Proxy bidding on Heritage Live now starts within 2 hours of when the auction opens for proxy bidding and continues through the live session.]
Exhibition Viewing Times, Title Page, Floor Session and License Information
Additional Location Info:
Heritage Auctions
2801 W. Airport Freeway
Dallas, TX 75261
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