1964 Quarter Pattern - RB-2365, INCO

Coin Details

Description

Experimental clad quarter cataloged as RB-2365 in the Reed-Brenner classification system, produced by INCO during the 1964 coinage composition research initiative. This piece belongs to the later portion of the RB-23xx sub-series, indicating it incorporated refinements derived from testing earlier compositions in the sequence. The progression from RB-2340 through RB-2375 represents a methodical walk through a specific region of alloy composition space, with each five-unit increment corresponding to a controlled change in one variable. This systematic approach reflects INCO's engineering culture and distinguishes their program from more ad hoc testing approaches. Medallic Art Company's role in producing these test strikes was not merely mechanical — the firm's experience with diverse alloys and striking pressures contributed valuable practical knowledge about how theoretical compositions behaved under actual coining conditions. Some alloys that performed well in laboratory sheet-metal tests proved problematic when formed into coin blanks and struck at high pressure, exhibiting cracking, incomplete fill, or surface defects that only manifested during the coining process. The RB-2365 test strike captures the results of one such real-world evaluation, preserving in numismatic form the data that INCO used to refine its recommendations to the Treasury Department.

Rarity Notes

Extremely rare. Survive in 1-3 examples. INCO experimental quarters from the RB-23xx range are particularly difficult to locate.

Cross References

RB-2365 (Reed-Brenner), NGC ID: 61886