1856 Liberty Head $2.50 Gold Quarter Eagle Coin

1856 Liberty Head $2.50 quarter eagles are gold coins that are collected by many numismatists who appreciate 19th-century coinage. 1856 gold quarter eagles were struck at five mint facilities, including those located in Philadelphia, Charlotte (C), Dahlonega (D), New Orleans (O), and San Francisco (S). By far, most of these coins were made at the prolific Philadelphia mint. While all 1856 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 simply were not saved in substantial quantities to begin with, most having later been lost or melted.

Here is a rundown of the mintages and values for 1856 Liberty Head quarter eagle gold coins:

• 1856, 384,240 minted; $577

• 1856-C, 7,913; $1,650

• 1856-D, 874; $10,000

• 1856-O, $656

• 1856-S, 72,120; $656

*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. 1856 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.

1856-dated $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.