1861 Quarter Eagle - 1861 TYPE 1 $2.5 NGC AU58 CAC. This Civil War-dated, near-Mint State 1861 Type 1 Quarter Eagle shows very clean surfaces for the grade and some interesting and typical clash marks on both sides of the coin. The piece is completely original as seen by its greenish gold and rose-gold colors. Original mint luster remains in protected areas. The strike is above average with full details on the centers of the stars and Libertys hair. The dentils are full and bold on both sides. The CAC sticker confirms the grade and indicates that the coin is a premium quality piece.
 
The old style reverse was first used in 1840 and last in 1861. In that year a new style, Type 2, was introduced. Many more of the Type 2s were issued than the earlier style.
 
The Liberty Head Quarter Eagle was designed by Christian Gobrecht. He 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 1859 James Longacre, who was now 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 1866 it was mandated that the motto IN GOD WE TRUST be added to all coinage large enough to accommodate it. It was decided that the quarter eagle was too small for this modification.

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. 

In its population report, as of December 2013, CAC has confirmed 3 Type 1 1861 quarter eagles at the AU58 grade level with 8 finer. Less than 10% of all NGC and PCGS Type 1 1861 quarter eagles have been given CAC stickers.