1865 Liberty Head $2.50 Gold Quarter Eagle Coin

1865 Liberty Head quarter eagles are classic collectible coins that numismatists respect for their history. In 1865, only the Philadelphia and San Francisco (S) mints struck quarter eagles, with the San Francisco Mint producing far more gold coinage than the Philadelphia minting facility. This may not come as much of a surprise to those who remember that the Gold Rush centered much of the nation’s gold mining activity in the vicinity of the City by the Bay. By this time, the bulk of the U.S. gold coinage was circulating in the West.

Here’s a breakdown of mintages and values of 1865 $2.50 quarter eagles:

• 1865, 1,520 minted; $4,500

• 1865-S, 23,376; $1,051

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

1865 quarter eagles were made of a “coin gold” composition consisting of 90 percent gold and 10 percent copper. They also weigh 4.18 grams and measure 18 millimeters in diameter, meaning they are about the same size as a modern U.S. dime. 1865 gold quarter eagle coins contain a total of 0.1202 ounces of gold.

Christian Gobrecht designed 1865 quarter eagle gold coins. Not only had Gobrecht served as the U.S. Mint’s chief engraver, but he also gained wide acclaim in the numismatic community for designing Seated Liberty coinage, which ran from the late 1830s through 1891.