1916 Standing Liberty Quarter. MS-63 FH (PCGS). Satiny surfaces are fully lustrous with delicate pinkish and powder-blue iridescence around the devices. Boldly to sharply defined throughout, as one should expect given the coveted FH designation from PCGS. Smooth in hand and suggestive of an even higher grade, this is one of the nicest Choice Mint State examples of this key date issue that we have offered in recent sales. A find for the discerning Standing Liberty quarter enthusiast.<p><p>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 contemporary Americans, most of whom 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 common Standing Liberty quarters in Mint State, the low mintage 1916 is one of the scarcest. Highly ranked in rarity within the wider context of 20th century United States Mint coinage, as well, the inclusion of an Uncirculated 1916 Standing Liberty quarter has long been considered a mark of a significant numismatic collection.
