1870 Quarter Eagle Patterns

About This Coin

Struck at the Philadelphia Mint within the 1870 Standard Silver Patterns program, these quarter eagle ($2.50 gold coin) pieces tested proposed design alternatives for the smallest regular-issue gold denomination. Chief Engraver William Barber supervised production, exploring departures from the Coronet Liberty Head design that had served since 1840. The quarter eagle bridged the gap between silver coinage and larger gold denominations used in wholesale trade, small enough for everyday transactions yet struck in precious metal. A notable auction result of $3.5K in PR61 at Bowers & Merena suggests these patterns appear somewhat more frequently than their larger-denomination counterparts, though they remain genuinely scarce. Including the quarter eagle in the Standard Silver program underscores the Mint's intent to redesign the entire American coinage as a unified artistic package rather than updating individual denominations piecemeal. The quarter eagle design survived in Coronet form until 1907, when Bela Lyon Pratt's innovative incuse Indian Head created one of the most distinctive and controversial coins in American numismatic history.