DID MANS LETTER DRIVE MINT TO PROTECT STANDING LIBERTY QUARTER DATE?
Bibliophiles generally appreciate what goes into researching the books they love. Here’s a recent example of how a specific letter was located. Several weeks ago I found an unusual letter during a page-by-page search of press copy books [RG 104, entry 235, vol 461] in the U.S. Mint archives at NARA, College Park MD. It was a simple reply to Henry Franc, Jr. of Washington DC acknowledging his suggestion about the date on the Standing Liberty quarter. Buried among thousands of pages for 1924, the letter got my attention because I had seen nothing in the archives dated this early referring to the date on the quarter. By itself, the letter said little, but it indicated that Mr. Franc had made some sort of specific suggestion relating to the coin’s date. I knew that from 1916-1924 the date was exposed to abrasion and that many quarters from this period were dateless, although otherwise in collectable condition. Beginning in 1925 the date area was recessed so the digits were protected. Curio
