Did they make these for longer than a year? I see them constantly. If they were worth anything I'd be able to retire, they're so common.
You should have seen them back about 1969. They were nearly 40% of the circulating quarters. I tghought they'd never go away but now it's less than one per roll. It's only about every 65th quarter you see and they're all worn out except about 2% are in nive VF or better. I haven't seen an AU in three or four years.
They made the clad '65 quarter until about march of '66. I could look up the exact date if you're interested. The '64 date was frozen and then they froze the '65 date. When the coin shortage eased they started making '66's.
The mint didn't rotate their stocks of coins until 1972 and they still had huge nmbers of brand new '65 quarters in storage at that time. It took three years to completely rotate their stock the first time so brand new '65, '68-D, '72-D and a few others were still being released in 1975. In those days all the coins were in great shape. Now some of them are really tough in nicely made VF or higher.
I cannot say I see '65 quarters that often anymore - seems like most of what is circulating now is 80s on up and mostly state quarters. The instances where I do find 1965 dated coins - they are in well worn VG or F shape now.
Yes. A little more than 50% are gone now and have been destroyed over the years. Of those surviving most are, as you say, in VG/ F and fully a third of them are culls due to severe corrosion or damage.
I have a handful of accumulated pocket change, six quarters and four of them are states/parks quarters, one 1998 and guess what? A VG-F 1965. The park quarter is a 2013 Perry's Victory - first I have noticed of a 2013 dated quarter.
this article from Numismatic News says 1965 coins were minted from Dec 29, 1965 thru July 31, 1966 http://www.numismaticnews.net/article/Clad_coins_welcomed_coolly_by_collectors
A lot of the details of the laws and mintings of the time can be found in Ginger Rapsus' book; The United States Clad Coinage.
Really? At all? I've been finding them in my change for the past year or so. I even found a White Mountain earlier this year. I'm sorry for you...
Considering you'll find at least 100 1965 quarters for every 1964 quarter you find, it makes the 1965's seem very common. They seem to stick in my mind because every time I find one I say to myself "So close...". :too-funny:
My area is finally starting to do a little better. I'm up to two now. A 2010 P Hot Springs from last summer, and a 2012 D Denali about a month ago. (And I have seen four 2009 Territory quarters as well.)
