1872 Liberty Head $2.50 Gold Quarter Eagle Coin

1872 Liberty Head quarter eagles are collectible gold coins that collectors treasure for their history, art, and intrinsic metal content. Just two mints, those in Philadelphia and San Francisco, produced quarter eagles in 1872, which means there are only two regular-issue business-strike pieces for the collector to pursue.

Here’s a gander at the mintages and values of 1872 $2.50 quarter eagles:

• 1872, 3,000 minted; $656

• 1872-S, 18,000; $609

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

The mintage figures listed above reflect the striking of thousands of quarter eagles representing both issues. Still, just hundreds exist, an anemic figure due mainly to the melting of these pre-1933 U.S. coins during the 20th century. Quarter eagles are made of a “coin gold” composition consisting of 90 percent gold and 10 percent copper. They have a weight of 4.18 grams, contain a total of 0.1202 ounces of gold, and measure 18 millimeters in diameter, which is roughly the diameter of a current U.S. dime.

Christian Gobrecht designed 1872 $2.50 gold quarter eagle coins. In addition to having served as the U.S. Mint’s chief engraver, perhaps Gobrecht is most recognized as having designed Seated Liberty coinage, which ran from the late 1830s through 1891.