1851 Liberty Head $2.50 Gold Quarter Eagle Coin

1851 Liberty Head $2.50 quarter eagles are historic gold coins that numismatists appreciate and enjoy collecting. 1851 gold quarter eagles were produced at the Philadelphia, Charlotte (C), Dahlonega (D), and New Orleans (O) mints, with the bulk being made at the Philadelphia facility. Certainly, all 1851 gold coins are scarce, but issues from the Charlotte and Dahlonega mints are the rarest in terms of overall availability; these coins were not saved in substantial quantities to begin with, most having later been lost or melted.

Here is a look at the mintages and values for 1851 Liberty Head quarter eagle gold coins:

• 1851, 1,372,748 minted; $577

• 1851-C, 14,923; $1,500

• 1851-D, 11,264; $1,650

• 1851-O, 148,000; $609

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

Liberty Head quarter eagle gold coins consist of a 90 percent gold and 10 percent copper composition – the ordinary “coin gold” alloy for gold coins of the time period. 1851 Liberty Head $2.50 gold coins weigh 4.18 grams and have a diameter of 18 millimeters, meaning they are roughly the diameter of a standard U.S. dime. These gold quarter eagle coins contain a total of 0.1202 ounces of gold.

1851 $2.50 gold coins were designed by Christian Gobrecht, who served as the U.S. Mint’s chief engraver. Gobrecht is also well noted as the designer of Seated Liberty coinage, which was issued from the late 1830s through 1891.