1879-S $2.50 (1879-S Quarter Eagle) NGC MS61. This Western branch mint, mint state 1879-S Quarter Eagle has a full strike as seen in the centers of the stars, the highest points of Libertys hair, and lower left part of the shield. The surfaces are clean for the grade and have no marks or other distractions worthy of individual mention. Bright mint luster is seen within the devices.

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 quarter eagles were minted.

Gobrecht used the coronet motif for his 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. The mintmark is above the denomination.

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.