The 1805 is one of the second type of quarter eagles, introduced in late 1796 and struck until 1807. Its mintage is estimated to be a mere 1,781 pieces; all struck from a single die pair. Of this die pair, the obverse would have a curious future after the 1805 quarter eagles had been struck. It was heated to be overdated, which happened in 1806 and the die was put back into service again as an 1806 die. This process is highly unusual in the history of American coinage, and rare at that. As for the reverse, it is considered to be one of the workhorses of all early United States dies. After it struck these quarter eagles, it continued to do so for two years. Additionally, it struck a total of 165,000 dimes, which shared the same reverse die. These cross-uses of the reverse dies was common at the time, but in such large quantities it was highly unusual.

With an estimated 100 to 150 pieces known of this date in all grades, one has to guess that this issue is not easily found in any grade. The present coin is a lovely survivor of the small mintage, and is destined for one of the finest sets. It is totally original and scarce as such, as many of these pieces have been cleaned in the past. The fields are relatively mark free, and although it spent some short time in circulation, the appearance of wear is limited to some minor luster breaks. Extremely scarce as both a type and date, act quickly to secure this coin for your collection or investment portfolio.