1846-D $2.50 (1846-D Quarter Eagle) NGC AU58. A good strike and clean surfaces for the grade characterize this Southern branch mint 1846-D Quarter Eagle. On the obverse the highest points of Libertys hair and the centers of the stars are well detailed. The reverse shows good details on the lower part of the eagle and the shield. Pre-Civil War branch mint coins are often weakly struck and often have weak dentils. That is not the case with this piece. The lines at the top and front part of the coronet show sufficient separation to warrant the grade. The surfaces show no marks worthy of individual mention, and muted mint luster is seen in protected areas on both sides.

Gobrecht used the coronet motif for his Liberty Head Quarter Eagle design. It shows a profile of Liberty facing left. Her hair is tied in the back with beads as two curls flow down her neck. The portrait of Liberty was based on a Roman neoclassic painting of the Napoleonic era called Pythagoras by Pierre Guerin. It was painted about 1800. The art critic, Vermeule calls her effigy on the coin a sober yet sympathetic portrayal. 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 D. is below, separated from the inscription by dots. The mintmark is above the denomination.

The discovery of gold in the early 1800s led to the establishment of two of the Southern branch Mints, Charlotte North Carolina and Dahlonega Georgia. In 1835 an act of Congress mandated that these two branch mints would coin only gold. The New Orleans Mint also opened to handle gold from Mexico. In 1838 the first Dahlonega gold coins were made, and they were the Classic Head Half Eagle type. Because of the local alloys high silver content, Dahlonega coins often have a green-gold cast. They are also often weakly struck on irregular planchets. Dahlonega gold coins are eagerly sought by collectors and investors because of their low mintages and rarity. Modern D mint coins should not be confused with Dahlonega issued pieces. Today a coin bearing the D mintmark was minted in Denver, which began production in 1906.

The discovery of gold on Cherokee land in Georgia caused a large group of miners to come to the frontier town of Auraria, which is now Lumpkin County, Georgia. Its name derives from aurum, the Latin word for gold. Soon Dahlonega, which meant yellow money in Cherokee, would become the county seat. The miners need to convert oar and dust into bullion led to the establishment of private coiners, including the Bechtlers and Templeton Reid; however, because of a lack of standardization, there was pressure for a federal coinage to be created. The federal branch mint at Dahlonega was established to meet this need.

The original mintage of the 1846-D quarter eagle was a modest 19,303. In its population report, NGC shows 48 certified in AU58 with 15 better.