2021-P Washington Crossing the Delaware Quarter : A Collector’s Guide

2021-P Washington Crossing the Delaware Quarter Value, Mintage, and Design Guide

By CoinWeek Notes

The 2021-P Washington Crossing the Delaware Quarter holds a unique place in modern United States coinage. The U.S. Mint issued it as a one-year type after the 56-coin America the Beautiful Quarters Program reached its end in early 2021. Congress gave the Treasury secretary the option to continue that program with a second round. However, the law required that decision before the end of the program’s first nine-year window, which put the deadline in 2018. Steven Mnuchin led the Treasury Department at that time, and he did not make that determination. As a result, the Mint moved ahead with a Washington Crossing the Delaware stopgap design.

Why the 2021-P Washington Crossing the Delaware Quarter Matters

This quarter does more than fill a gap between programs. It marks a transition. On one side, it closes the America the Beautiful era. On the other, it points toward the American Women Quarters series that began in 2022. Therefore, collectors often treat it as a key modern type coin.

The Design Reveal and Its Historical Context

The U.S. Mint unveiled the design on December 25, 2020. That date marked the 244th anniversary of George Washington’s famous 1776 crossing of the Delaware River. Benjamin Sowards, an Artistic Infusion Program designer, created the reverse. Then Michael Gaudioso sculpted it. The design shows Washington standing at left and pointing his saber to the right. A boat moves through the river at right. Historically, future President James Monroe crossed the Delaware with Washington’s forces and fought at Trenton, which adds context to the figures the scene evokes.

Just as importantly, the Mint restored John Flanagan’s classic Washington portrait to the obverse for 2021. That move returned the portrait and inscriptions to their pre-1999 style after the 50 State Quarters Program changed the look of the quarter. For many collectors, that restoration remains the coin’s most notable design feature.

Philadelphia Mintage and Release

The Philadelphia Mint struck 998,800,000 examples of the 2021-P Washington Crossing the Delaware Quarter. The Federal Reserve released the first batches into circulation on April 5, 2021. Then, in 2022, the American Women Quarters Program replaced it with a new multi-year series.

How Much Is the 2021-P Washington Crossing the Delaware Quarter Worth?

Collectors should still view this market as young and thin. Public price history remains limited. As a result, eBay, GreatCollections, and the grading-service databases still drive much of the visible market. Raw examples have traded in the low single digits online, and certified coins can jump sharply in price once the grade moves into the top-pop range. PCGS lists an auction record of $2,777 for an MS68 example, while NGC currently shows MS69 as the top certified grade for this issue.

CoinWeek’s September 2024 snapshot captured the early market well. At that point, raw coins had sold on eBay in recent months for about $1 to $2. That article also suggested a slight preference for PCGS holders, because PCGS MS67 examples sold for roughly the same money as NGC MS68 coins. At the time, CoinWeek also noted that CAC had not yet reported grading events for this issue and warned that population numbers would shift as more coins reached the services.

September 2024 Market Snapshot and Noteworthy Specimens

Because grading populations change, the following figures work best as a dated market snapshot from September 2024:

Top population: PCGS MS68 (9), NGC MS69 (52), CAC N/A (0 stickered : 0 graded).

Noteworthy specimens:

• NGC MS68 #6459665-004 – GreatCollections, November 12, 2023, Lot 1469010. American Leaders: Washington Crossing the Delaware label (#430).
• NGC MS68 #6315363-038 – GreatCollections, September 25, 2022, Lot 1225620. American Leaders: Washington Crossing the Delaware label (#430). Early Releases insert.
• PCGS MS67 #4763 – eBay, August 21, 2024, Lot 226149161842 — $55.41.

Coin Design

Obverse:  The obverse features John Flanagan’s familiar left-facing portrait of President George Washington. LIBERTY appears above the portrait. The date 2021 appears below. IN GOD WE TRUST sits to the lower left. Flanagan’s initials, JF, appear at the base of Washington’s neck.

Reverse: The reverse shows General Washington facing right with saber drawn as he leads his troops through the overnight crossing of the icy Delaware River. A boat full of Continental soldiers appears in the background. The inscriptions read UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM, CROSSING THE DELAWARE, and QUARTER DOLLAR.

Edge: The edge carries 119 reeds. In short, it follows the standard reeded quarter format.

Designers

John Flanagan helped define American medallic art in the early 20th century, and collectors know him best for the Washington quarter portrait that first appeared in 1932. Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon chose his design for the circulating Washington quarter, and that portrait still anchors the coin’s history today.

Benjamin Sowards studied at Brigham Young University and Laguna College of Art and Design. In addition, he has directed the Illustration Program at Southern Utah University since 2001. His portfolio includes portraiture, painted illustration, and book work, including illustration connected with the Leven Thumps series.

Michael Gaudioso joined the United States Mint in 2009 after work at the Willet Hauser stained glass studio in Minnesota. He studied at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, the New York Academy Graduate School of Figurative Art, and the Repin Institute in St. Petersburg, Russia. He retired from the Mint in 2020.

Coin Specifications

• Year of issue: 2021
• Mintmark: P (Philadelphia)
• Mintage: 998,800,000
• Alloy: Cupro-nickel clad; commonly described as outer layers of 75% copper and 25% nickel bonded to a pure copper core
• Weight: 5.67 g
• Diameter: 24.26 mm, commonly rounded in market references to 24.30 mm
• Edge: Reeded, 119 reeds
• Obverse designer: John Flanagan
• Reverse designer: Benjamin Sowards
• Reverse sculptor: Michael Gaudioso
• Quality: Business strike

Bottom Line

The 2021-P Washington Crossing the Delaware Quarter stands out because it bridges two major quarter programs and revives Flanagan’s classic Washington obverse for one year only. Even so, the coin remains common in absolute terms because the Philadelphia Mint struck nearly one billion pieces. Therefore, most raw examples command only modest premiums. However, top-grade certified pieces still attract strong attention, and that dynamic gives this modern one-year type lasting collector appeal.

* * *

Want more stories like this? Sign up for the CoinWeek newsletter and never miss a rare discovery, auction highlight, or collector deep-dive.