A
Set of First and Last Capped Bust to Right Quarter Eagles, 1796
Quarter Eagle and 1807 Quarter Eagle
The
numismatic adventure can be enriched by acquiring groups of
coins in meaningful combinations. Sets of coins can run from
two pieces to many. In the areas of rare date and early silver
and gold coins we have established certain sets of special
interest. They include the first and last of an issue, type
sets, design sets, year sets, and those that are joined by
historical events such as the Civil War. The coins of each
set are specially selected for you and your collecting needs.
We are specialists in this
area and will expertly and confidentially help you assemble
a set similar to the one you see below, which is made up of
pieces from the US Rare Coin Investments’ archives.
We will cherry pick through millions of dollars of rare coins
selecting only the finest quality pieces for your collection.
Robert Scot designed the Capped Bust to
Right quarter eagle. The earliest issues of the first year
had no obverse stars. They were added later in the year
to make a second type. Quarter eagles were struck intermittently
until the early 1800s. Because of the relatively low denomination,
they circulated domestically rather than internationally
as did the larger coins.
The obverse design shows a profile of Liberty
facing right. Below her is the date which is off center
to the left. Between the date and the word LIBERTY on each
side of the coin are eight stars for the first year. Liberty
wears a large, soft cap. Her hair flows down and also shows
on her forehead. The design was probably taken from a Roman
engraving of a Greek goddess. Liberty’s cap was certainly
not a Phrygian or liberty cap. The liberty cap, emblematic
of freedom, was worn by freed slaves and freed gladiators
in Roman times. It was a close fitting cap used to cover
a shorn head, which was one of the ways slaves were identified.
Because of the way Liberty’s hair strands wrap around
it, the oversized cap has been called a turban, and the
design has been called the Turban Head because of it.
The reverse shows a heraldic eagle. However,
Scot mixed up the positions of the arrows and olive branch.
The arrows held in the wrong claw signify defiant militarism.
Either Scot made an error copying the image of the Great
Seal, or he deliberately changed the symbolism in keeping
with very warlike stance. Considering that the United States
at this time was engaged in a naval war with France (the
undeclared Franco-American War of 1798 to 1800, which took
place on the East coast of North America and the Caribbean
and resulted in the end of French privateer attacks on U.S.
shipping), the latter is probably more likely. The French
would be especially sensitive to a message within the heraldry,
and the young United States was brash in that they had just
defeated the super power, England in gaining independence.
In the field above the eagle are thirteen stars and above
them, an arc of clouds. A banner from wing to wing has the
motto E PLURIBUS UNUM.
1796
Quarter Eagle -
Late in 1796, stars were added to the obverse of the
quarter eagle. The sixteen stars represent each state
in the Union at that time. Most examples of this coin
are seen in low circulated conditions.
The pictured coin is a Stars on the
Obverse type. With a mintage of only 432, it is fundamentally
rare in all conditions. Less than 50 pieces are known
in all grades. Despite the details grade, mint luster
is seen within the devices of both sides of the coin.
There are a few wispy marks in the obverse field and
light hairlines, which are probably a result of having
been cleaned.
The reverse shows slight abrasion
on the eagle’s breast, tail feathers, and on
the shield, consistent with the grade. There is light
wear on Liberty’s cap and hair with less on
her cheek and drapery. The motto on the reverse is
complete. The coin is identified as a BD-3 variety.
It has 16 stars on the obverse. On the reverse, the
arrowheads are to the center of the N in UNITED. The
D of UNITED touches the 4th feather of the eagle’s
right wing.
1807
Quarter Eagle - Mint officials realized
that the practice of adding a star for each new state
of the Union had severe design limitations, and in
1797, they returned to 13 obverse stars for the quarter
eagle. Any that were made after that date with a different
number of stars on either side of the coin was either
an engraving error or because of the use of leftover
dies from earlier years. The 1807 quarter eagle had
the standard 13 obverse stars. They were arranged
in a 7-6 pattern. There was only one die pair for
this date, which concluded the Draped Bust, Stars
type quarter eagle series.
The 1807 quarter eagle had a mintage
of 6,812. Of these, only about 300 examples are known
in all grades according to most researchers (the true
number of individual examples might be somewhat lower,
in our opinion). These include impaired, cleaned and
damaged examples, and only a couple of dozen coins
will correctly be graded as uncirculated. Only a single
die pair was used for quarter eagle production in
1807.
The obverse, obviously, was a new
die, but the reverse had been used in 1805 and 1806
as well. By the time it was used for coinage in 1807,
it had been extensively lapped, and not every detail
was as clear on the die as it had been in 1805. This
is a genuine characteristic of this variety, and while
it does not affect its value it does provide a valuable
tool for research.
On this coin, the effect of lapping
is especially visible in the center. The obverse is
in its earliest die states, with no visible signs
of clashing, lapping or die cracks. A further confirmation
of the early strike this particular coin received
from these dies is the moderate prooflike fields.
While prooflike characteristics are not uncommon on
early gold coinage, they add a vibrant twist to the
present coin. Together with the light yellow color
and bright luster, it gives the surfaces the look
of a coin which was minted recently, and not 200+
years ago. A few minor marks are noted on either side,
most likely affecting the grade, but none is sever
and overall the coin appears to be of premium quality.
