1825 Quarter Eagle - Despite its low mintage of 4,434, the 1825 quarter eagle is relatively easy to find, with “relatively” being the operative word. Although most pieces are softly struck in their centers, they usually found in high grades. For the obverse a new die was made. The reverse still used the same die that was used previously from 1821. Later in the year a new reverse die was made. The reuse of dies shows the necessary frugality of the Mint officials and the difficulty encountered to obtain good die steel.

Robert Scot designed the coin. It shows a capped head of Liberty facing left. She is encircled with thirteen six-pointed stars; the date is below the truncation. LIBERTY is inscribed on the headband of her Phrygian cap. Her hair falls beneath her cap in luxurious curls. The reverse is similar to the previous design with a heraldic eagle facing left. Its mouth is opened and its wings are outstretched. However, its feathers are more even and less ragged than on the previous type. A banner above its head bears the motto E PLUIBUS UNUM. In its claws it holds the arrows and olive branch, symbols of preparedness and peace. Below the eagle is the denomination written 2 ½ D. The whole is surrounded by the inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA interrupted by the wing tips. Dentils are at the periphery of both sides and the edge is reeded.

Unlike the previous issues in the series, three die pairs were used in 1825 for the quarter eagle. The first had a new obverse die with the 5 of the date with a thin, pointed top. It is even with the top and bottom of the 2. The left base of the 1 is between dentils, of which the coin has 114. The reverse is the same as the 1821 issue. It has large letters. The fraction is distant with the numerator and denominator away from the fraction bar. The D of the denomination is large. This variety, known as BD-1, has an R6+ rarity rating with 12 to 15 known to exist.

The second die pair has a new obverse with a recut 5 with blunt serif at its top. Its top and bottom are below the top and bottom of the 2. The left base of the 1 is nearly over the left edge of a dentil, of which there are 105. The reverse is the same as the 1821 issue. It has large letters. The fraction is distant with the numerator and denominator away from the fraction bar. The D of the denomination is large. The variety is known as BD-2, and it has an R4+ rarity rating with 80 to 100 pieces known.

The third die pair uses the same obverse die as the previous variety. The reverse, however, is different. It uses small letters with a normal A and an M that is larger than the previous variety. On the fraction, the 1 nearly touches the bar, and the 2 touches it. The fraction is almost under the tip of the arrow feather. The D of the denomination is normal sized, but it is larger than the D in UNITED. Known as the BD-3 variety, it has an R6+ rarity rating with 12 to 15 pieces known.

The grading services do not distinguish these issues by die variety. In its population report, PCGS shows 50 with 23 in Mint State, and NGC has 48 with 26 in Mint State. These numbers do not account for resubmissions or crossovers.

Specifications:
Weight: 4.37 grams
Composition: .9167 gold, .0833 silver and copper
Diameter: approximately 20 millimeters
Edge: reeded