1964 Quarter Pattern - RB-2515, INCO

Coin Details

Description

Experimental clad quarter in the RB-2515 composition, produced by the International Nickel Company as part of the most comprehensive testing sub-series within the RB-2xxx family of 1964 experimental quarters. The Reed-Brenner catalog documents sixteen compositions in the RB-25xx range, more than in any other sub-series, reflecting the intensive investigation that INCO devoted to this particular alloy family. The testing program at this stage was producing data of direct relevance to the policy decisions being made at the highest levels of government. President Lyndon Johnson had personally taken an interest in the coinage crisis, and his administration was preparing legislation that would fundamentally reshape American currency for the first time in nearly a century. The experimental quarters produced by INCO were not mere curiosities — they were the physical embodiment of the research that would determine whether the United States could successfully transition away from silver coinage without disrupting the vast commercial infrastructure that depended on reliable coin acceptance. RB-2515 preserves one moment in this high-stakes investigation, its specific alloy formulation representing one answer to the question of what American quarters should be made from.

Rarity Notes

Extremely rare. Estimated population of 1-5 known examples. Many RB-25xx compositions are known from only a single certified specimen.

Cross References

RB-2515 (Reed-Brenner), NGC ID: 61892