1855 Liberty Head $2.50 Gold Quarter Eagle Coin

1855 Liberty Head $2.50 quarter eagles are numismatic gold coins that are collected by many who study and appreciate 19th-century coinage. 1855 gold quarter eagles were struck at the Philadelphia, Charlotte (C), and Dahlonega (D) mints, with by far most coming from the Philadelphia mint. While all 1855 gold coins are scarce, those struck at the Charlotte and Dahlonega mints are the rarest in terms of overall current population numbers; the Charlotte- and Dahlonega-mint coins were not saved in substantial quantities to begin with, most having later been lost or melted.

Here is a glance at the mintages and values for 1855 Liberty Head quarter eagle gold coins:

• 1855, 235,480 minted; $566

• 1855-C, 3,677; $2,250

• 1855-D, 1,123; $4,500

*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. 1855 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.

1855 $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 ran from the late 1830s through 1891.