Capped Bust Quarter (1815-1838)
Mint Mark Information

Quarter dollar production ceased in 1807 due to lack of demand from the public. In 1815, Planter’s Bank of New Orleans requested a large shipment of quarters, and the Mint obliged.

By 1815, the Draped Bust theme was long gone. In keeping with the Mint guideline of using the same design on all coins of the same metal, the current Capped Bust motif of John Reich was placed on the new quarter. In all, 89,000 were coined.

The quarter was not issued again until 1818. In 1831, the diameter was slightly reduced to 24.3 mm. The Capped Bust design was retained, though the E PLURIBUS UNUM motto was deleted. The quarter diameter has not been changed since that time.

Capped Bust Quarter Obverse

Capped Bust Quarter Reverse

The table below confirms there are no Mint Marks on the Capped Bust Quarter:

There are no Mint Marks on the Capped Bust Quarter because they were all struck at the Philadelphia Mint, which did not start using a Mint Mark until the 20th century. Please note coin photos at right provided courtesy of Goldberg Coins.

Most of the Capped Bust Quarter dates are fairly common in lower grades. Not so for the 1823. This is the key date in the entire series. It is very rare and highly valued by coin collectors and investors.

The average collector cannot afford an 1823 Capped Bust Quarter. However, should you be in a position to obtain an example, you need not worry about a collapse in value. The 1823 Quarter will always have a base of support because of its status as a great US rare coin.

Seldom does an 1823 Quarter appear for sale on eBay. If one ever hits the auction block, it will show up in the eBay portal below. A word of caution: only buy examples that have been certified by PCGS, NGC, ICG, or ANACS, and that are being offered by a seller of unquestioned reputation. If an example is currently not up for sale (this is the norm), then some other item, unrelated to coins, shows up in the portal by default.

1823 Capped Bust Quarter