1868 Liberty Head $2.50 Gold Quarter Eagle Coin

1868 Liberty Head quarter eagles are important collectible coins that collectors value for their history, art, and gold content. Only the Philadelphia and San Francisco mints struck quarter eagles in 1868, meaning there are just two regular-issue business-strike pieces for the collector to pursue.

Here’s a look at the mintages and values of 1865 $2.50 quarter eagles:

• 1868, 3,600 minted; $597

• 1868-S, 34,000; $597

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

While mintages for both the Philadelphia and San Francisco issues look substantial enough to provide coin collectors with a ready supply of coinage, actually far fewer of both issues exist today than what is reflected in the production numbers. This is because most pre-1933 U.S. gold coins have been melted for their precious metal content. 1868 quarter eagles were made of a “coin gold” composition consisting of 90 percent gold and 10 percent copper. They also weigh 4.18 grams and measure 18 millimeters in diameter, meaning they are about the same size as a modern U.S. dime. They contain a total of 0.1202 ounces of gold.

Christian Gobrecht designed 1868 quarter eagle gold quarter eagles. While Gobrecht also served as the U.S. Mint’s chief engraver, he is perhaps most well noted in the numismatic community for designing Seated Liberty coinage, which ran from the late 1830s through 1891.