1859-S $2.50 (1859-S Quarter Eagle) NGC MS61. Frosty & rare. Here is a lovely mint state San Francisco 1859-S Quarter Eagle that that glows with subdued mint luster. Slight surface abrasion keeps this coin from a higher mint state grade. The strike is above average on the obverse and average on the reverse with some central weakness seen. The S mintmark is partially filled, which is normal for this date.

Ten years after the discovery of gold in California, the mint in San Francisco was in full operation. By that time it had supplanted all of the private minting and assaying companies that had supplied services to miners and coined dust and ore into gold. The private minting companies were necessary because the U.S. Assay Office, the San Francisco Mints predecessor, did not have the necessary parting acids, concentrated nitric, sulfuric and hydrochloric acid that were needed to separate silver from gold. Parting is a necessary stage in refining gold because it is often found combined with silver.

Christian Gobrecht designed the Coronet Head quarter eagle, which was in use from 1840 to 1907. In 1859 James Longacre, who became the Mint Chief Engraver, slightly modified the reverse by making the arrowheads smaller and further apart; however, in San Francisco the old reverse was used until 1867.

In its population report, NGC shows 4 in MS61 with 6 better.