Trivia: Dial "W" for West Point

Is there a good reason that the circulation coinage did not carry a W mint mark, or is it just because the government said so?

 

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I suspect it is because they don't want us "evil" collectors hoarding 'em Bill....

 

I know this thread is nine years old but I thought it was a good read.

I would suspect that The W was not added because the mint was not a official US mint at the time. I was wondering if there were any dies left in the W mint facility that might help to attribute these quarters and others struck with out a "W"?
@cladking

 

Back in the day I thought the type "d" reverse quarters were made exclusively at West Point but this is obviously not the case for a few reasons, not the least of which is these continued right up through 1984.

I was looking for a way to distinguish these coins but I never found it.

Dies are normally destroyed at the end of the year so it's unlikely any survive. The best bet is to find a bag identified as being W mint and finding easily recognized varieties but this is very improbable since there aren't many easily recognized varieties. I've never seen a W bag and they might have been shipped in Philly bags.

The mint knows that collectors (public) will hoard any "low mintage" issue so seeing 15,000,000 W quarters would just get them removed. I believe the primary reason for the mintage was to ease the burden on the mint of the bicentennial coins and special sets. After 1976 they just figured it was good work for the slack capacity at West Point so continued minting coins there. Pennies were a more "natural" way to use this capacity.

There is more likely to be a means of identifying the cents from West Point but even this is unlikely at this late date.

 

...And by 1980 I was starting to see them on Denver issues as well.

 

Awww, I was hoping you were going to ask some plebe knowledge... I’m pretty certain I have the majority of it still memorized.

 

Indeed.........it's bad form to 'necro' a 'Clinker' thread. Such a kind and gentle man.........

 

Kripes, you're West Point? My grandfather taught there.........

 

Never knew him, My bad.

 

Not bad......most good.

https://www.cointalk.com/forums/clinker-in-memoriam.64/

 

I am

 

Thanks for the insight, I guess we will never know.