Gold Coins - Classic Head Gold Coinage
by John W. McCloskey

During the early years of the 19th century, large quantities of Latin American Silver coinage entered world markets, effectively lowering the price of Silver relative to Gold, so that early US Gold coinage was worth more than its face value as bullion. The United States was therefore forced to reduce the weight of its Gold coinage so that it would circulate freely in daily commerce. A bill was introduced in congress that lowered the weight of the Gold Eagle, Half Eagle and Quarter Eagle by the Act of June 28, 1834 that would take effect on August 1, 1834. To distinguish the new, lower weight coins from the old ones, the US Mint prepared reverse dies that omitted the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM and revised the obverse dies by using an old John Reich Classic Head design.

The Classic Head design was used on Gold coinage for a period of only six years, from 1834 to 1839. It was used on the Quarter Eagle and the Half Eagle, the only two Gold denominations struck at the Mint during this period. While it is a rather short series, it is nonetheless a very important series. Though there was extensive melting of earlier Gold coinage, this series contains coins that are readily available at modest prices to the interested collector. The Classic Head series also contains the first Branch Mint Gold coinage from the Charlotte, Dahlonega and New Orleans Mints. These pieces are in constant demand from collectors because their mintmarks appear on the ob-verse of these coins.

The Classic Head series consists of only 17different dates for the Quarter Eagle and Half Eagle denominations combined, and they are all available to any collector who wishes to build a set. For the Quarter Eagle denomination there are ten dates: Philadelphia coins for the six years from 1834 to 1839; Charlotte coins for the years 1838 and 1839; and Dahlonega and New Orleans coins for the year1839. For the Half Eagle denomination, there are seven dates: Philadelphia coins for the five years from 1834to 1838, and Charlotte and Dahlonega coins for the year 1838. Most of the Philadelphia dates are available in Mint State and some times in Choice Mint State grades, while most of the Branch Mint issues are very rare in Mint State.

Classic Quarter Eagles

Total mintage for the ten dates in the series is just under one million pieces. The 1834, 1835 and 1836 issues are the most common dates in the series and readily available in Circulated grades from VF to AU. These three dates are also frequently available in Mint State and offered on a regular basis in Choice Mint State grades. The remaining seven dates are scarce in Mint State and rare in Choice Mint State grades. More detailed information on the individual dates is given in the paragraphs below.

1834 Quarter Eagle
This date has a reported mintage of 112,234 pieces and is the second most frequently offered date in the series. There are four known die marriages that were struck from two obverses and four reverses. There are two major Types for this date. The Small Head has the date far from the curls, and the roll of curls on the back of the head is almost straight. This is the most common Type for this date, and it is frequently offered in all grades through Choice BU. Examples are always very well struck, but some pieces show weakness in the curls below LIBERTY on the obverse. There are perhaps eight known Proofs of this Type with some of them in Choice Proof and better grades. The Large Head coins of this date have the 4 in the date close to the curls and a deep indentation in the curls between the 10th and 11th obverse stars. This Type is also readily available in all grades through Choice BU. It is generally well struck with some examples showing weakness in the curls over the ear on the obverse. One reverse die develops a heavy die crack through AMERICA on the reverse.

1835 Quarter Eagle
This date has a reported mintage of 131,402 pieces and is the third most frequently offered date in the series. There are three known die marriages that were struck from one obverse and three reverses. This date is readily available in all grades through Mint State and is sometimes offered in Choice BU. It is not generally as well struck as pieces from the previous year with many examples showing weakness over the ear on the obverse and through the horizontal and vertical shield stripes on the reverse. There are at least four known Proofs of this date that show some of the design weaknesses as previously described.

1836 Quarter Eagle
This date has a reported mintage of 547,986pieces and is the most frequently offered date in the Quarter Eagle series. There are eight known die marriages that were struck from six obverses and four reverses. This is the most interesting date in the series because three different central devices were used to prepare the obverse dies. These are known as the Head of 1834, the Head of 1835 and the Head of 1837. The three heads are identified by the central device that was used during each of the other years at the Philadelphia Mint. The Head of 1835 is the most frequently offered Type, but all three head Types are readily available in all grades through Mint State. Coins of this date frequently show weakness in the curls below LIBERTY on the obverse, while even high-grade pieces show weakness in the horizontal and vertical shield stripes and in the eagle's feathers below the lower left side of the shield. One very common Head of 1835 obverse is frequently seen with a die crack the runs through the 6th star and continues across the obverse to the rim between the 12thand 13th stars. There are seven known Proofs of this date that were struck from three different obverses.

1837 Quarter Eagle
This date has a reported mintage of 45,080 pieces, and it is scarce compared to the previous three dates in the series. There are three known die marriages that were struck from two obverses and three reverses. However, all but a few of these coins were struck from a single die pair. Examples are usually very well struck, and Mint State coins are scarce. There are three known Proofs, one a Circulated coin that has some surface damage.

1838 Quarter Eagle
This date has a reported mintage of 47,030 pieces, but there is only one known die pair for this date. It is about equal in rarity to the 1837 issue, but it is more readily available in Choice Mint State grades. Examples are always well struck, and the reverse for this year was prepared from a new central device with only two lines in each of the vertical stripes.1838-C Quarter Eagle This is the first Branch Mint Quarter Eagle, and it has a reported mint-age of 7,880 pieces. There is only one known die pair; it has a doubled C mint-mark that is positioned on the obverse between the date and the bust. Examples are always well struck, and this date is most often available in Circulated grades from VF to AU. Mint State examples are rare and only seldom available for purchase, most frequently at auction.1839 Quarter Eagle This date has a reported mintage of 27,021 pieces, and it is the rarest of the six Philadelphia dates in the series. It is most frequently available in VF to AU grades, and is very rare in Mint State. There is only one known die pair that was struck from an old reverse with three lines in each vertical stripe. Examples are always well struck with evidence of repunching through the last digit in the date. There are three known Proofs for this date.

1839-C Quarter Eagle
This issue has a reported mintage of 18,140 pieces, and it is more readily available than Charlotte coins from the previous year. There are three known die marriages that were struck from two obverses and three reverses. This issue is most frequently available in VF to AU grades, and Mint State coins are very rare. Examples are usually well struck, and the mintmark is positioned on the obverse between the date and the bust. The most common die marriage has a strongly recut 3 in the date, and this die pair develops bisecting die cracks on both the obverse and the reverse in later die states.

1839-D Quarter Eagle
This issue has a reported mintage of 13,674 pieces, and there are two known die marriages that were struck from one obverse and two reverses. Examples are generally well struck and most frequently available in VF to AU grades, while Mint State coins are very rare. One of the two reverses develops several strong die cracks in later die states.

1839-O Quarter Eagle
The reported mintage for this issue has been listed at 17,781 pieces for many years, but recent research by Richard Kelly and Nancy Oliver has produced documents indicating that the correct mintage should be 9,396. There are two known die marriages that were struck from two obverses and two reverses. This is the most commonly available Branch Mint issue in Mint State from this series with Choice BU examples offered with some regularity. Both reverses develop strong die cracks with these defects clearly visible on many specimens. The close fraction variety is frequently seen with an up-set reverse.

Classic Half Eagles

Total mintage for the seven Half Eagle issues is just over 2 million pieces. The 1834, 1835 and 1836 issues are the most commonly available dates, but the 1837 and 1838 issues are also offered on a regular basis. All five Philadelphia dates are readily available in Mint State and Choice BU grades with the 1837 the most difficult to obtain in Choice condition. The 1838-C and1838-D issues are scarce in Circulated grades, but become rare in Mint State with the 1838-C much more difficult to obtain in Mint State. More detailed information on the individual dates is given in the paragraphs below.

1834 Half Eagle
This issue has a reported mintage of 657,460 pieces, the highest of the dates in the Classic Gold series. It is the most frequently offered date, and is readily available in all grades through Choice BU. Nine die marriages are known that were struck from five obverses and four reverses. The most popular obverse for this date has a script 8 and a crosslet 4. This date style is well known and sought after by many Gold specialists. It is a scarce variety, but regularly offered at auction in Circulated grades, becoming quite rare in Mint State. The other four obverse dies all have a plain 4, but two of them have a script 8 while the other two have a block 8. Both of these date styles are readily available in all grades through Choice BU. Pieces are generally well struck with the most common weakness being in the curls above and to the left of the ear on the obverse. One obverse develops multiple die cracks through the left side stars. There are perhaps 10 to 15 Proofs for this date from two different die pairs.

1835 Half Eagle
This issue has a reported mintage of 371,534 pieces, and there are eight known die marriages that were struck from three obverses and five reverses. One obverse has a small 1, a block 8 and a 5 with a short, straight flag. This obverse accounts for about 80% of all known coins of this date, and examples are readily available in all grades through Choice BU. A second obverse has a script 8, and while examples are scarce, they are available in all grades through Mint State. The third obverse has a tall 1, a block 8 and a 5 with along, curved flag. This obverse is very seldom encountered, and examples are very rare in any grade. Examples are generally well struck with only limited weakness in the curls above and to the left of the ear on the obverse. Three Proofs of this date are known, two from the Pittman collection and the other at the Smithsonian.

1836 Half Eagle
This issue has a reported mintage of 553,147 pieces, and there are nine known die marriages that were struck from seven obverses and six reverses. Examples are readily available in all grades through Choice BU. Three of the obverse dies develop strong die cracks that bisect the obverse dies while one of the reverse dies develops a bisecting die crack. Examples are generally well struck with limited weakness in the curls above and to the left of the ear on the obverse. Six of the obverses have a block 8, and examples are available in all grades through Mint State. One obverse has a script 8, and examples are extremely rare in all grades. There are at least five known Proof coins of this date.

1837 Half Eagle
This issue has a reported mintage of 207,121 pieces, and there are three known die marriages that were struck from three obverses and three re-verses. Two obverses have a block 8, and examples are generally available in all grades through Mint State. The third obverse has a script 8 with examples very scarce in Circulated grades and very rare in Mint State. Examples are generally very well struck with limited weakness in the curls above and to the left of the ear on the obverse. There is one known Proof coin of this date at the Smithsonian.

1838 Half Eagle
This issue has a reported mintage of 286,588 pieces, and there are two known die marriages that were struck from two obverses and two reverses. This issue is not as frequently available as 1834 to 1836 Half Eagles, but there is a surprising number of Mint State and Choice BU coins available for purchase. Examples are generally very well struck, and nice BU coins can frequently be purchased by interested collectors.

1838-C Half Eagle
This issue has a reported mintage of 17,179 pieces, and there are two known die marriages that were struck from one obverse and two reverses. Interestingly enough, the obverse die has block 8s in the date-the only Half Eagle obverse of this year with block 8s. This issue is very scarce in AU grades and extremely rare in Mint State. Many examples are poorly struck and show weakness in the design on the obverse and reverse. There is often weakness through the obverse stars and in the lettering on the reverse. One of the re-verse dies develops a diagonal bisecting crack, and coins struck in this die state show weakness through the reverse shield and particularly in the eagle's feathers and in the leaves on the lower left side of the shield.

1838-D Half Eagle
This issue has a reported mintage of 20,583 pieces that were struck from a single die pair. The obverse die has script 8s in the date, and the Dahlonega mintmark is slightly to the left of being centered over the 3 in the date on the obverse. Examples are very well struck and frequently available at auction in grades through AU, while Mint State examples are scarce. This issue is much easier to obtain in grades of XF and higher than the 1838-C Half Eagle from this series. This article is intended to provide some background information on the Classic Head Gold Quarter Eagles and Half Eagles produced at the United States Mint from 1834 to 1839. While this was a very short series, it contains the first Branch Mint Gold coins struck at the Charlotte, Dahlonega and New Orleans Mints. All seventeen coins in the Classic series are obtainable by the interested collector at a reasonable cost, and they make a beautiful set of early Gold coins for an investor or collector.