1858-C Quarter Eagle (1858-C $2.50) NGC AU58. This Charlotte quarter eagle shows a mixture of green and russet toning on both sides of the coin. There is luster on Libertys nose, mouth and hair and on the eagles wings, right side of the shield, olive leaves, left leg and arrows. There are several contact marks on Libertys nose, cheek, and chin as well in the obverse left field below the chin. The reverse has a few insignificant marks in the field above and below the eagles right wing. There is a very small amount of wear on the highest point of the design, which probably keeps the coin from an uncirculated grade. The strike is surprisingly sharp for this issue, which is usually weak in the centers. All Charlotte gold is rare in conditions above EF, and that is particularly true for this piece.

In 1823 engraver, inventor and mechanic Christian Gobrecht wrote to President Monroe requesting that he be considered for the position of Mint Chief Engraver. However, the appointment was given to William Kneass, a well known book and banknote engraver. Later when Kneass became ill as the result of a stroke, Gobrecht received the position. His design for the quarter eagle remained in use for over sixty-five years despite the fact that it lacked the mottos E Pluribus Unum and In God We Trust. One of Gobrechts innovations was the addition of the denomination to the coin. Previous quarter eagles values, like European coins, were determined by weight and fineness. The reverse of the branch mint quarter eagles became very cluttered with the large D. for the denomination and the addition of the mint mark under the olive branch and arrows. The present coin shows the mint mark between the numerator and slash of the fraction.