1918/7-S Standing Liberty Quarter. FS-101. Unc Details--Cleaned (PCGS). Pleasing satin to softly frosted luster blankets surfaces that are also lightly toned in pearl gray. A bit muted in appearance, yet smooth and impressively well struck with nearly full detail to Libertys head.<p>The 1918/7-S is the leading rarity among Mint State Standing Liberty quarters, surpassing even the key date 1916. An overdate whose mintage is included in the 11,072,000-piece total reported for the 1918-S, the actual number of examples produced will never be known. Numismatic scholars account for fewer than 1,000 survivors in all grades, leading J.H. Cline (<em>Standing Liberty Quarters, Fourth Edition</em>, 2007) to speculate that only 2,500 or so examples were struck. Typically offered in circulated grades, and well worn at that, the 1918/7-S is a major rarity in Mint State. The overdate feature was not recognized until 1937, by which time most examples had long since entered commerce. Only a handful of Full Head coins are included among the Uncirculated survivors, confirming the significance of this very sharp example. An impressive provenance also adds to the appeal.<p> From our (Stacks) sale of the Reed Hawn Collection, August 1973, part of lot 489. Stacks paper envelope with provenance notation included.
