1836 Quarter Eagle (1836 $2.50) Block 8, NGC AU58. This 1836 quarter eagle shows pleasant gold on both sides. There is some mint luster in Libertys hair and her profile on the obverse, and some on the eagles wings and feathers on the reverse. The coin is virtually free of contact marks and other annoying distractions. The strike is typical for the date, with sight weakness in the center of the obverse but strong on the reverse. There is a trace of wear on the highest points of the design, which keeps the coin from being graded uncirculated. This coin is the Block 8 variety.

John Reich, the coins designer, was innovative in that he placed the denomination on a gold coin. The prior gold pieces were valued by their weight and fineness as was the case with the European coins that circulated and were accepted in the United States. He expressed the denomination as 2 and D. This abbreviation continued in use for the next design type, the Christian Gobrechts Coronet Heads, and must have been confusing when the D mint mark, for the branch mint in Dahlonega, Georgia was added to the coins reverse.