1843-C $2.50 Small Date Quarter Eagle, NGC AU58. Certified by NGC in an old holder, this Charlotte Mint quarter eagle is of premium quality. The total mintage for the 1843-C quarter eagle was 26,064 coins. Of these, it is generally considered that of these, only 2,988 were of the small date variety, represented by the present offering. As a result, this is the rarest quarter eagle struck at the Charlotte Mint.
Of the small mintage, according to Douglas Winter, an estimated 50 to 60 coins are still existent in all grades. Most of these show signs of heavy circulation, and any coin that grades higher than EF is a true rarity. Although Breen, in his Encyclopedia, mentioned that “dealers often exaggerate this date’s rarity”, recent times has learned that this coin truly is a rarity within the quarter eagle series.
The full mintage of this variety presumably was delivered April 28. After that, new obverse dies arrived which had the date struck in a much larger logotype. It was this date style that continued for the rest of the series struck at the Charlotte Mint. As a result, the quarter eagles struck at the Charlotte Mint can be divided in two different obverse types: those with small dates (1840-1843) and large dates (1843-1860).
The present offering represents a near miss uncirculated coin of this rare issue. Totally original, with dark-yellow, very attractive toning on both sides. The fields are remarkably clean, and the strike is much better than average. All stars on the obverse show radial lines, a seldom encountered feature on Charlotte quarter eagles, and the reverse shows lots of details in the feathers. Only the slightest luster breaks are noted, the reason that this coin did not grade an uncirculated grade. Given the fact that low Mint State coins have sold for double the price of this coin, this offering is a wonderful and rare opportunity for the Charlotte gold specialist! |
