1881 Quarter Eagle - 1881 $2.50 PCGS MS60. This extremely rare, eye-appealing Mint State 1881 Quarter Eagle has a tiny mintage of only 640 pieces. The coin has almost proof-like surfaces with frosted devices contrasting with darker fields. Of course there is no wear, and the surfaces are original and clean for the grade with no notable individual abrasions. The strike is strong with full details on the centers of the stars, Libertys hair, and the eagles neck. Full dentils are on both sides of the coin.

Christian Gobrechts quarter eagle was produced without substantial modification from 1840 to 1907, the longest span in any United States coinage series. It uses the Coronet design which shows Liberty in profile facing left, her hair tied tightly in beads, except for two curls one down the back of her neck and the other on the side below her ear, with the word LIBERTY inscribed on the coronet. She is surrounded by thirteen stars, and the date is below the truncation. Dentils are around the periphery of both sides. The reverse shows a heraldic eagle facing left holding arrows and olive branch it its talons. The inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA arcs around it, interrupted by the wing tips, and the denomination 2 D. is below. The denomination is separated from the legend with dots.

Gobrecht was the third Chief Engraver at the United States Mint. He was born in Hanover, Pennsylvania in 1785. His father was a German immigrant, and his mother traced her ancestry to the early settlers of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Gobrecht married Mary Hewes in 1818. One of his early positions was as an engraver of clocks in Baltimore. Later he went to Philadelphia where he became a banknote engraver. He invented a machine that allowed one to convert a three-dimensional medal into an illustration.

This was an excellent job and Gobrecht was understandably reluctant to work for the Mint for less money than he was making at the engraving firm. In order to persuade him to leave, Mint Director Robert Patterson prevailed upon Chief Engraver William Kneass, who had had a stroke, to take less in salary so more money would be available to hire Gobrecht on a permanent basis. In 1826 Gobrecht did his first work for the Mint as an assistant to Kneass. After Kneass 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. 

Breen says that proofs of the 1881 quarter eagle are more often seen than business strikes. The proofs have hollows at BER and in and below Libertys ear. These are areas of excess die polish. The final 1 in the date on a proof is left of the center of a dentil. These features are not present in circulation strikes, and the right base of the 1 is over the space between the dentils.

Less than 100 1881 quarter eagles are known to exist in all grades. In its population report, PCGS has certified 2 in MS60 condition with 12 better. At NGC there are 4 in MS60 with 12 better, and these numbers do not account for crossovers or resubmissions.