1984 Proof Washington Quarter - X-301a, Squared Quarter

Coin Details

Auction Record

$500 PR67 02-23-2023 eBay

Description

This is the quarter-ounce .999 fine silver edition of the Squared Quarter, a celebrated piece of numismatic political satire created by German-American artist Andor Orand (born Andor Carius, 1942). The concept originated in 1972 and reached production in 1982, though all pieces are dated 1984 — a deliberate reference to the presidential election year, President Reagan's promise to balance the federal budget, and George Orwell's dystopian novel. The Squared Quarter takes the familiar Washington quarter design and mathematically stretches it into a square shape with sharp corners and serrated (reeded) edges, accomplished through pioneering computer-aided design — making it one of the first numismatic items designed with computer assistance. Computer programmer Manfred Mohr created the obverse coordinate mapping, architect Bill Kinsinger designed the reverse, and sculptor Harvey Citron produced the plaster models. The dies were manufactured and pieces struck by the Medallic Art Company of Danbury, Connecticut. The squaring of the round quarter was intended as a visual metaphor for Reaganomics: the impossible task of reconciling supply-side economics with monetarist policy, or "squaring the circle." The X-301a designation refers specifically to the quarter-ounce silver proof striking, which was limited to 1,310 pieces. Marketing was handled by Square Deal Productions, Inc. of New York, which sold these for $37 each.

Rarity Notes

Limited mintage of 1,310 pieces in quarter-ounce .999 fine silver. Not rare in absolute terms but scarce in high proof grades. The original packaging adds a premium.

Cross References

X-301a (Krause Unusual World Coins); related to X-301, X-301b, X-301c, X-301d, X-301e variants