Liberty Head Quarter Eagles

Liberty Head $2.50 quarter eagle gold coins, also known as Coronet Type quarter eagles, were made from 1840 through 1907. These gold coins were struck by five different minting facilities over the course of their nearly 70-year run, including the Philadelphia mint, Charlotte mint, Dahlonega mint, New Orleans mint, and San Francisco mint.

Liberty Head $2.50 gold coins were designed by Christian Gobrecht, the same individual who designed the popular Seated Liberty coinage that was produced from the late 1830s through early 1890s. The Coronet quarter eagle gold coins weigh 4.18 grams and have a composition consisting of 90 percent gold, 10 percent copper. In all, these gold coins measure 18 millimeters in diameter and contain 0.12094 ounces of gold content.

While some bullion investors will buy Liberty Head $2.50 coins strictly for their gold content, the overall collectible value these coins possess mean they are numismatic coins first and foremost. In fact, several Liberty Head $2.50 gold coins are considered rare issues, including the 1841 Philadelphia issue (which is proof only and worth more than $100,000), 1848 “CAL” issue worth $40,000 and up, and 1854-S quarter eagle valued at more than $200,000.

The most common issues were made in the 1900s and generally sell for $475 to $523 in grades of Very Fine 20, while uncirculated mint state speciments start at $618 and can be worth thousands of dollars in high grades. It is important to remember that all pre-1933 U.S. gold coins are considered scarce, including Liberty Head quarter eagle gold coins.

In many cases, less than 10 percent of the original mintage of certain Liberty Head $2.50 gold coins still exists. That means coin collectors should not rely on mintage figures alone when determining the scarceness of any coins. This is especially the case when regarding classic gold coins like the Liberty Head $2.50 coin. Most U.S. gold coinage was melted down after the gold standard was abandoned in the early 1930s. Even by then, many classic 19th-century gold coins such as Liberty Head quarter eagles had been lost to the elements of time, due mainly to attrition in circulation.