Between-the-wars: 1932 and Rex at 25 cents a head.

[villa66]

Between-the-wars. Fast ocean liners were the jetliners of their day, and in the Twenties and thirties several nations competed with each other for the Blue Riband (the unofficial prize for the fastest liner on the North Atlantic run between Europe and New York).

Beginning in the late-20s, a pair of German liners (Bremen and Europa) took turns winning the Blue Riband after taking it from Britain’s venerable champion, Mauretania. Then Italy launched a pair of fast liners of its own, one of which—Rex—did win the Blue Riband in ’33.

In 1932, however, Rex was already a celebrity when she docked in New York after her maiden voyage. She was opened to the visiting public at 25 cents a head and many thousands of persons came aboard (with something like 25,000 having to be turned away).

It’s possible some brand-new Washington quarters began their circulating careers that October 9th of 1932, but probably not too many, because they’d only begun circulating August 1st, and the few folks who had met them were reluctant to let them go.

(Below, a 1932 Washington that did work a while…)

[villa66]

It was more likely that many of the 25-cent pieces handed over that day at dockside were Philly-mint 1930 Standing Liberty quarters like this one. The Market had crashed. The Depression was deepening. There had been no need for new quarters dated 1931. But it was the Rex…in New York!

v.

[villa66]

We got talking elsewhere about grading American 2-cent pieces and how it focused so heavily on the motto IN GOD WE TRUST. As can be seen on the example below, WE is in an exposed position, and is especially vulnerable to wear (often disappearing even on otherwise decent pieces). And of course figuring into the outsize importance of complete mottoes on these coins is the fact that they were the first U.S. coins to carry it....

[villa66]

Anyway, during that conversation on IN GOD WE TRUST on 2-cent pieces, I remembered I was going to say a quick word about the motto on the 1932 quarter I posted above. The coin is well-worn, but note how tenuous a hold IN GOD WE TRUST has on this piece--despite its being in a relatively protected position....

[villa66]

The motto's weakness may have been the result of the 1932 Washington quarter having been intended as a single-year commemorative, where the behavior of its design in circulation wasn't a major concern.

By 1934, however, the decision to make the Washington a circulation coin having been taken (there had been no '33 Washingtons), a strengthening of IN GOD WE TRUST was undertaken, and by the end of the year the motto was clearly much sturdier. Here is the result of the rework, on a 1935 Washington....

[villa66]

And let me post the reverse of this coin, to take up later on.

v.