1950-D/S Washington Quarter. FS-601. MS-66 (PCGS). CAC. This scarce overmintmark Washington quarter offers rare premium Gem quality. The smooth and lustrous surfaces are adorned with wisps of light russet toning that appear to drift toward the borders. It is expertly preserved and ranks among the finest certified. Specialists in Washington quarter varieties have long taken note of a strange occurrence with regards to the branch mint issues of 1950. When one branch ordered a set of dies, the die cutter at the Philadelphia Mint took an already prepared branch mint die and simply punched in the requested mintmark, but then later the converse occurred, producing the fascinating D over S and S over D varieties. It is not known which came first, though it is well established that 1950 D/S FS-601 is by far the rarer of the two varieties in Gem Mint State by a margin of almost four to one. Long popular with advanced collectors, the appearance of such an outstanding CAC-approved example at auction is certainly a noteworthy event. PCGS# 5843. NGC ID: 245T. PCGS Population: 18; 5 finer (MS-67 finest). CAC Population: 10; 1.
