1916 25C MS66 Full Head PCGS....

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1916 Standing Liberty Quarter
MS66 Full Head
Intense, Mint-Fresh Luster

1916 25C MS66 Full Head PCGS. The rarity of the 1916 Standing Liberty quarter is largely due to neglect on the part of the Mint, whose singular focus for much of the year was devoted to the new Mercury dime and Walking Liberty half dollar issues. By the time those designs were tweaked and tweaked again, the Standing Liberty quarter design was in danger of not being released at all in 1916, since various Mint officials still had a list of adjustments that they wanted to make to the hubs before regular production could be commenced. To avoid a failure to launch the new design as planned, the decision was made in December to use the existing dies (which lacked the officials' proposed changes) to hastily produce a token quantity of P-mint 1916-dated pieces of the new type. Numismatic researcher and historian, Roger Burdette, writes in Renaissance of American Coinage 1916-1921:

"Most of the changes various officials wanted were made to the new quarter, but applied to hubs dated 1917 by either [George T.] Morgan or [Charles] Barber [Mint assistant engraver and chief engraver, respectively]. The obverse was completely redesigned and the mint's reverse was strengthened, this creating a second variety of the new coin before it had been officially issued."

The 1916-dated coins were officially released alongside the first 1917-dated pieces in early January, with the two issues differing in several respects as to their respective variations of the Standing Liberty design. Most prominently, the 1916 is much softer overall than is the 1917, readily apparent in the obverse stars and shield lines, which are indistinct on the earlier issue but sharp on the later. Moreover, on the 1916, Liberty's head crowds the upper border of the coin, creating what appears to be a split in the reed and bead pattern that circumnavigates the periphery, while on the 1917 issue, the border pattern is intact. The 1916 gown is wider at the extreme bottom left (facing) of the coin, appearing to touch both the outside of Liberty's foot and the sideboard of the gate through which she strides, and her toe overlaps the top of the pedestal, where it does not on the 1917. Minute differences are also discernable in olive leaves, Liberty's hair style, and the drapery from the outstretched arm.

Students of the Standing Liberty series often identify the 1916 and 1917 Type One issues as two distinct types, a distinction that puts even greater pressure on high-grade examples of the earlier issue, which are already prized rarities. This representative is a notable coin within the MS66 Full Head grade, not only for its impeccably well-preserved, original surfaces but also for the intense mint-fresh luster that enlivens both sides to a degree that is downright rare on the 1916 issue. Liberty's head shows the appropriate detail, and a few minute ticks on the obverse around Liberty's outstretched arm are almost inconsequential in the shadow of this coin's captivating cartwheel effect. Lovely pastel hues are illuminated on each side in shades of lavender-blue, pale olive-gold, and lilac. A truly stand-out coin among the finer-known examples of this coveted series key. Population: 18 in 66 (1 in 66+) Full Head, 5 finer (3/16).(Registry values: N7079)

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 242Y, PCGS# 5705, Greysheet# 5534)

Metal: 90% Silver, 10% Copper
Weight: 6.25 grams
ASW: 0.20oz
Mintage: 52,000

View Certification Details from PCGS