1858-C Quarter Eagle - 1858-C $2.50 NGC AU58. This Southern branch mint, near-Mint State 1858-C Quarter Eagle has muted mint luster remaining in protected areas. The strike of this 1858-C Quarter Eagle is typical for a pre-Civil War branch mint piece with strong peripheral elements such as the centers of the stars and the dentils but weakness on the coins centers. The surfaces of this 1858-C Quarter Eagle are original and clean for the grade with no notable abrasion marks.

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 of the Liberty Head Quarter Eagle are dentils on both sides of the coin. The reverse of the Liberty Head Quarter Eagle 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 the 1790s gold was accidentally discovered in North Carolina. The first United States Gold Rush took place in the early 1800s in North Carolina and Georgia. In the area around Charlotte, North Carolina almost 100 gold mines were in operation. Second only to farming, prospecting for gold became the main source of employment in North Carolina. The most gold produced in the United States came from North Carolina until 1848, when it was discovered in California.

The gold that was produced at Charlotte had to be refined and standardized so it would have commercial value. Private mints like the Bechtlers and Templeton Reids opened to assay the new gold and convert it to coinage. In order to standardize this coinage and because transportation to Philadelphia was so poor as a result of bandits, unfriendly Indians, and poor roads, a branch mint in Charlotte was opened in 1836.

In its population report, NGC shows 33 1858-C Quarter Eagles in AU58 condition with 38 better. It is assumed that the population number of AU58s is inflated because of numerous attempts to resubmit for a higher grade.