1863 Liberty Head $2.50 Gold Quarter Eagle Coin

1863 Liberty Head $2.50 gold coins are a top collector item among numismatists who enjoy 19th-century coins. In 1863, just two mint facilities struck the quarter eagle, including the Philadelphia and San Francisco mints. The Philadelphia mint, which normally struck a limited number of proof coins during the era, struck only proofs for quarter eagles in 1863, resulting in a very tiny Philadelphia quarter eagle mintage for that year.

Here is a glance at the mintages and values for 1863 Liberty Head quarter eagle gold coins:

• 1863, 30 minted; $75,000 (Proof-63)

• 1863-S, 10,800; $1,250

*Values are for coins grading Very Fine-20, unless otherwise noted.

1863-dated Liberty Head $2.50 quarter eagle gold coins are made from a standard “coin gold” composition of 90 percent gold and 10 percent copper. 1863 Liberty Head $2.50 gold quarter eagles weigh 4.18 grams and measure 18 millimeters in diameter, which means they are approximately the breadth as a standard U.S. dime. These gold quarter eagle coins contain a total of 0.1202 ounces of gold.

1863 quarter eagle gold coins were designed by Christian Gobrecht. Not only did he serve as the U.S. Mint’s chief engraver, he also gained wide acclaim in the numismatic community for designing Seated Liberty coinage, which ran from the late 1830s through 1891.