PCGS 1973 Washington quarter struck on a cent planchet. The coin is struck on the copper-alloy planchet of a Lincoln cent, and weighs around 3.1 grams. It is smaller than a normal quarter, with much of the coin's outer design missing. Quarters on cent planchets are dramatic in appearance because of the obviously smaller size and difference in metal of the quarter on cent. 

The error occurred when a Lincoln cent planchet was fed into a press that was striking Washington quarters and was struck, resulting in a coin with the design of a quarter but on the planchet of a cent. This mixup can occur when a bin used to transport loads of planchets to the coining presses is used for cents and then is not completely emptied--perhaps a few become lodged in a corner of the bin. If the bin is then used to transport quarter planchets, the few cent planchets may become dislodged and fed into the quarter press along with the quarter planchets. The result will be an off-metal quarter on cent planchet!

A generally scarce error type. Some dates are much scarcer than others, but all are generally scarce. 

MS64 Red