1873-S $2.50 (1873-S Quarter Eagle) NGC AU55. This Western branch mint 1873-S Quarter Eagle has clean, original surfaces with no distracting marks for the grade. The coin is lustrous in protected areas. It has a fully struck obverse and an average reverse with full details on the stars and Libertys hair. Sufficient separation in the lines of Libertys hair and coronet exists to confirm the grade.

Christian Gobrechts quarter eagle was produced without substantial modification from 1840 to 1907, the longest span in any United States coinage series. It uses the Coronet design which shows Liberty in profile facing left, her hair tied tightly in beads, except for two curls one down the back of her neck and the other on the side below her ear, with the word LIBERTY inscribed on the coronet. She is surrounded by thirteen stars, and the date is below the truncation. Dentils are around the periphery of both sides. The reverse shows a heraldic eagle facing left holding arrows and olive branch it its talons. The inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA arcs around it, interrupted by the wing tips, and the denomination 2 D. is below. The denomination is separated from the legend with dots. The mintmark is above the fraction touching the arrows feather.

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. The 1873-S coin was made with a closed 3.