1850-C Quarter Eagle - 1850-C $2.50 PCGS AU53.  Here is a lustrous Almost Uncirculated, Southern branch mint 1850-C Quarter Eagle. The surfaces are a mixture of yellow and greenish gold with lots of mint luster remaining within protected areas. The presence of these elements affirms the coins originality. This point is important since many survivors of this date show harsh cleaning. The coin has a typical strike for the date and mint with central weakness; although, it is somewhat bolder on the reverse. The surfaces are clean for the grade with no individual abrasion marks or other distractions that require description. 

Christian Gobrecht designed the Liberty Head Quarter Eagle. It was minted from 1840 to 1907, the longest span of any coinage series without any major design modification. In that period of time 11,921,171 Liberty Head Quarter Eagles were minted.

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. 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. 

In 1826 Gobrecht did his first work for the Mint as an assistant to William Kneass. After Kneass suffered a debilitating stroke, Gobrecht did all the die and pattern work for the Mint. He became Chief Engraver in 1840 and served until his death in 1844. He was famous for his Liberty Seated motif, which was used for all denominations of silver coinage including the half-dime, dime, quarter dollar, half dollar and silver dollar. He also designed the Liberty Head gold eagle, a motif that was also used on the half-cent, the cent, the gold quarter eagle, and the gold half eagle. 

Most examples of the 1850-C Quarter Eagle are seen in lower states of preservation. According to Garrett and Guth in their Encyclopedia, Original coins with luster are very desirable. In its population report, NGC shows 18 certified at the AU53 grade level.