1839-D $2.50 (1839-D Quater Eagle) NGC AU55. This well struck, Southern branch mint, Classic Head 1839-D Quarter Eagle has significant remaining mint luster in its devices. The strength of the strike is seen in the full details of Libertys hair curls and the centers of most of the obverse stars. The reverse dentils and rims also show a full strike. While there is a trace of wear on the highest points, the surfaces are original, clean, and, for the grade, free of individual marks worthy of description.

This quarter eagle is the first of its denomination struck at the Dahlonega Mint and the only Classic Head struck there. The design, by William Kneass, shows shows a head of Liberty in profile facing left. She wears a LIBERTY inscribed headband that reveals the curly hair on top of her head, which also flows down her neck. She is surrounded by thirteen six-pointed stars, and the date is below. Dentils are around the periphery of the coin. The reverse shows a heraldic eagle with its head facing left. In its talons are olive branch and arrows, symbols of peace and preparedness. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is in an arc around the eagle, interrupted by the wing tips. The denomination is below written as 2 D.

Because the gold coinage in circulation was being melted for its gold content, Mint Director Samuel Moore ordered William Kneass to design quarter and half eagles with lower weight and fineness. He also told Kneass to omit the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM on the new Classic Head coins so they would be easily identified as being made with less gold content. This action prevented the older gold coins from being exported, and the public was thus induced to bring them into the Mint for recoinage.

The Classic Head motif chosen by Kneass is a copy of John Reichs Large Cent design of 1808-1814 and the half cents of 1825-1836. The eagle design is also similar to an earlier Reich eagle designed for gold coins.

There were several design changes in the series. In 1834 there were two heads, the Small Head and the Booby Head. The next year there was a taller head and a narrow bust. In that year Kneass suffered a debilitating stroke. Christian Gobrecht, his assistant, made the next dies. The 1836 had a Head of 1835 and another with a Head of 1834. No doubt these were made from earlier dies. In 1837 Gobrecht made a new die, which had his own change. The hair slopes back from the brow, distant from the sixth star. In 1838 he made a crude imitation of the Booby Head with tiny stars. In 1839 all of this uncertainty ended with the introduction of the Coronet Head motif that was standardized for sixty-seven years.

Most examples of the 1839-D Classic Head quarter eagle are in circulated condition. In its population report, NGC shows 20 examples in AU55 with 30 better.