1867 Quarter Eagle Patterns

About This Coin

Produced at the Philadelphia Mint during the middle years of the Reconstruction Era Patterns (1866-1869) series, the 1867 Quarter Eagle Patterns extended the Mint's design exploration into the $2.50 gold denomination for a second consecutive year. These experimental pieces tested alternative obverse concepts departing from the long-running Liberty Head design, reflecting the broader national impulse toward renewal that characterized the Reconstruction period. Reverse designs incorporated various experimental approaches including nickel and aluminum compositions the Mint was systematically evaluating across all denominations. A notable auction result of $8.4K in PR66BN grade at Heritage Auctions represents a comparatively accessible price point among Reconstruction-era gold patterns, though the piece remains genuinely rare. The various Mint engravers operated at peak productivity during the late 1860s, generating more experimental designs per year than at any previous point. For collectors specializing in gold denomination patterns, the 1867 Quarter Eagle continues the evolution of ideas first tested in 1866 as engravers refined their design vocabulary across multiple die varieties.