The Seated Liberty design was added to the U.S. quarter in 1838, joining
the
Half Dime and
Dime, which began carrying the design the
previous year.
The image of Miss Liberty seated upon a rock while holding
a Liberty cap on a pole became a fixture in daily American life for many
decades. It wasn't until 1891 when the Seated Liberty theme was finally discontinued.
A few varieties exist for the Seated Liberty
Quarter, due to design changes in drapery, arrows, and IN GOD WE TRUST motto.
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Seated Liberty
Quarter
Specifications |
Diameter: |
Weight: |
Minted: |
Composition: |
Designer |
Edge: |
24.3 mm |
6.68 g |
1838-1853 |
.100 Cu .900
Ag |
Christian Gobrecht |
Reeded |
24.3 mm |
6.22 g |
1853-1873 |
.100 Cu .900
Ag |
Christian Gobrecht |
Reeded |
24.3 mm |
6.25 g |
1873-1891 |
.100 Cu .900
Ag |
Christian Gobrecht |
Reeded |
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Coin Photos courtesy of
Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc., Beverly Hills, CA. |
One of the most
bizarre stories in all of numismatics involves the
1866 No
Motto Seated Liberty Quarter. Only one example is known to exist.
It was included in a special set of three coins (quarter, half dollar, and
dollar) created as a favor for a friend of the Mint, Robert Coulton Davis.
For the next century, the coins were passed from one appreciative owner to the
next. In October, 1967, the trio, along with 7000 other coins, were stolen
from the duPont family home in Coconut Grove, Florida by a group of armed
robbers. None of the 1866 "No Motto" coins were seen again until 1999, when a
Los Angeles coin dealer stumbled upon the quarter, mixed in with a large number
of relatively common coins. Upon further investigation, it was confirmed
to be the quarter stolen from the duPonts 32 years earlier. The quarter is
today on display at the
American Numismatic Association in Colorado Springs, CO., now
reunited with its "No Motto" half dollar sibling.
Another great rarity in the Seated Liberty Quarter series is the 1873-CC No
Arrows. Mint records indicate that 4000 of the "No Arrows" quarters were
coined at Carson City in 1873, but all of them were ordered destroyed when the
word came from back east to start making quarters of 0.482% greater weight, to
be
denoted by arrows on either side of the date. Apparently, at least five of
the 1873-CC No Arrows were preserved, and today have achieved legendary status
with numismatists. The last public sale of the famous coin occurred in
March 2005, when an MS-63 example brought $201,250 on the auction block.
Even though the two greatest Seated Liberty Quarters are out of bounds for
just about all of us, there are still a few other key dates with outstanding
records of consistent value increases. They are:
A good place to find online coin auctions is at
eBay. Many thousands of coins are for sale every day. As you'll
agree, none of the key date Seated Liberty Quarters are cheap, but you can
buy with confidence you'll someday be selling (should you choose to) at a
much higher price. Warning: Do not buy these rare coins, or any rare
coins for that matter, unless they've been certified by one of the "Big
Four" grading services, PCGS, NGC, ANACS, or ICG. Too many of these
other lesser known grading outfits have caused bad experiences for collectors to take
a chance. You can
also trust highly reputable dealers, such as
Jakes Marketplace, to deliver a square deal, whether their coins are certified or not.
The left
hand side of each "Sales Box" is value trend data over a very long period of
time for the date headlined, in G-4 condition. The percent annual
increase is computed for comparative purposes. Because these coins are
so rare, you won't always find one for sale, even on eBay. If not, keep
checking back. The coin pictured for
sale in the right hand side (if any) is not necessarily an example in G-4
condition.
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1870-CC
Seat Lib Quarter
Condition: G-4
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1871-CC
Seat Lib Quarter
Condition: G-4
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Value Trends
1950: $12.50
1980: $400
1995: $1500
2003: $3000
2007: $5000
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Value Trends
1950: $25.00
1980: $350
1995: $1100
2003: $1250
2007: $2000
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% Annual Increase
Since 1950 =
11.08%
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% Annual Increase
Since 1950 =
7.99%
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1872-S
Seat Lib Quarter
Condition: G-4
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1873-CC Arr
Seat Lib Quarter
Condition: G-4
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Value Trends
1950: $5.00
1980: $75.00
1995: $350
2003: $450
2007: $800
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Value Trends
1950: $35.00
1980: $400
1995: $1250
2003: $1250
2007: $2500
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% Annual Increase
Since 1950 =
9.31%
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% Annual Increase
Since 1950 =
7.78%
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Arrows at the sides of the date on Seated
Liberty coinage were not added for decorative purposes. Rather, they
were added to denote that a change in weight for the coin type had occurred. Arrows at date for the 1873
Seated Liberty Quarter indicate an increased weight of 6.25 grams.
1873 quarters without arrows weighed only 6.22 grams.