1840-C
Quarter Eagle - 1907 Quarter Eagle: Set of Two Quarter Eagles
The
numismatic adventure can be enriched by acquiring groups of
coins in meaningful combinations. Sets of coins can run from
two pieces to many. In the areas of rare date and early silver
and gold coins we have established certain sets of special
interest. They include the first and last of an issue, type
sets, design sets, year sets, and those that are joined by
historical events such as the Civil War. The coins of each
set are specially selected for you and your collecting needs.
We are specialists in this
area and will expertly and confidentially help you assemble
a set similar to the one you see below, which is made up of
pieces from the US Rare Coin Investments’ archives.
We will cherry pick through millions of dollars of rare coins
selecting only the finest quality pieces for your collection.
A Set of First and
Last Liberty Head Quarter Eagles, 1840 and 1907
Christian Gobrecht designed
the Liberty Head quarter eagle, which was minted from 1840
to 1907, the longest span of any coinage series without
a major design modification. In that period of time 11,921,171
Liberty Head Quarter Eagles were minted. His design was
also used for the half eagle and eagle coins of the time.
He used a coronet motif,
which shows a profile of Liberty facing left. Her hair is
tied in the back with beads as two curls flow down her neck.
On the coronet the word LIBERTY is inscribed. She is surrounded
by thirteen six-pointed stars and the date, which is below
the truncation. At the periphery are dentils on both sides
of the coin. The reverse shows a heraldic eagle with wings
outstretched looking to the left. In its talons it holds
the olive branch and arrows, symbols of peace and preparedness.
The inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is in an arc around
the eagle, interrupted by the wing tips. The denomination
written as 2 ½ D. is below, separated from the inscription
by dots.
In 1859 James Longacre,
who was now the Mint Chief Engraver, slightly modified the
reverse by making the arrowheads smaller and further apart;
however, in San Francisco the old reverse was used until
1867. In 1866 it was mandated that the motto IN GOD WE TRUST
be added to all coinage large enough to accommodate it.
It was decided that the quarter eagle was too small for
this modification.
As an anti-counterfeiting
device, these coins were completely hubbed except for the
date and mint mark. The dates were entered by hand. In 1873
a new 3 was used because the old one was the “closed
3” and was easily mistaken for an 8.
1840-C
Quarter Eagle - The 1840-C quarter
eagle was the first year for the new Liberty Head
design. The coins of this year were not saved in large
quantity despite representing a major design change.
Most seen are in XF or AU condition with weak centers
and light die breaks. The C mintmark is very small
and is the same one used for the next two years and
on the 1843-C Small Date quarter eagle.
The pictured coin is a Mint State
example. But for some light abrasion marks, this 1840-C
Quarter Eagle would have been certified in a high
grade as indicated by the plus designation. Mint luster
is seen peeking out from within the devices. Except
for some typical central weakness, the strike is strong.
The remainder of a partial knife rim shows on the
lower obverse and reverse.
1907
Quarter Eagle - The 1907 Liberty
Head quarter eagle is the last coin of the series.
Aside from the slightly modified arrowheads done by
Longacre, the design is essentially the same as Gobrecht’s
1840 original. It is the most common date of the series,
and it makes for an excellent type coin because of
its availability in most grades.
The illustrated coin is an MS67 example
in nearly pristine condition graded by NGC. Seldom
seen in such a high state of preservation, the fields
are virtually flawless, and the strike is strong.
No major blemishes are noted on either side, and the
eye-appeal is excellent, as can be expected for the
grade. We believe that this particular issue (in MS-67)
has seen many resubmissions at the major grading companies,
and thus, this issue might be much scarcer in MS-67
than is generally considered.
Only a few MS-68s have been graded
by the major grading companies, and these are very
rarely seen, and even less frequent offered for sale.
Without doubt, this coin is a great representative
of this type for a type set of United States gold
coinage, and a coin which will be very hard to improve
on regardless of available funds.
