1859 Liberty Head $2.50 Gold Quarter Eagle Coin

In 1859, Liberty Head $2.50 quarter eagles received a slight facelift as the reverse was modified with smaller letters and arrowheads. These design implementations would continue through the end of the series in 1907 and San Francisco issues from the years 1877 through 1879. However, some Philadelphia coins from 1859, 1860, and 1861 also exhibit the older reverse design with the large letters.

In 1859, the $2.50 gold coin was struck at three mints, including Philadelphia, Dahlonega (D), and San Francisco (S). The Philadelphia Mint struck the older and newer reverse designs, creating two varieties for that type.

Here is a look at the mintages and values for 1859 Liberty Head quarter eagle gold coins:

• 1859 Old Reverse, 39,364 minted; $581

• 1859 New Reverse, mintage included above; $511

• 1859-D, 2,244; $2,200

• 1859-S, 15,200; $604

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

1859 Liberty Head quarter eagle gold coins are made from a composition of 90 percent gold and 10 percent copper, which is the ordinary “coin gold” alloy for gold coinage of the era. 1859 Liberty Head $2.50 gold quarter eagles weigh 4.18 grams and measure 18 millimeters in diameter, meaning they are roughly the breadth as a standard U.S. dime. These gold quarter eagle coins contain a total of 0.1202 ounces of gold.

1859-dated $2.50 gold coins were designed by Christian Gobrecht. He served as the U.S. Mint’s chief engraver and gained fame for designing the Seated Liberty coinage, which ran from the late 1830s through 1891.