1853 Liberty Head $2.50 Gold Quarter Eagle Coin

1853 Liberty Head $2.50 quarter eagles are numismatic gold coins that are collected by many who study and appreciate 19th-century coinage. 1853 gold quarter eagles were made at the Philadelphia and Dahlonega (D) mints, with by far more having been made at the Philadelphia mint. While both Philadelphia- and Dahlonega-mint 1853 gold coins are scarce, those made at the Dahlonega mint are the scarcer 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 1853 Liberty Head quarter eagle gold coins:

• 1853, 1,404,668 minted; $513

• 1853-D, 3,178; $2,000

*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. 1853-dated 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.

Christian Gobrecht designed 1853 Liberty Head quarter eagles. He also served as the U.S. Mint’s chief engraver and is also well noted as the designer of Seated Liberty coinage, which ran from the late 1830s through 1891.