Liberty Head Quarter Eagles 1840-1907

About This Series

Enduring for sixty-eight consecutive years, the Liberty Head Quarter Eagle holds the distinction of being the longest-running gold coin design in American history. Christian Gobrecht's Coronet Liberty obverse — depicting Liberty wearing a coronet inscribed LIBERTY surrounded by thirteen stars — remained essentially unchanged from 1840 through 1907. The reverse features a heraldic eagle with shield, olive branch, and arrows. Quarter eagles were struck at seven mints, with Charlotte (C) and Dahlonega (D) coins from the pre-Civil War period (1840-1861) particularly prized as products of small Southern branch mints serving the Appalachian gold region. These Southern gold issues typically had low mintages and limited survival rates. The series survived the Civil War, when gold coins disappeared from circulation, and multiple gold standard debates. San Francisco, New Orleans, Carson City, and Philadelphia issues provide geographic breadth mirroring the westward expansion of American minting operations during the 19th century.

Series Information