Seated Liberty Quarters 1838-1891

About This Series

Running for fifty-four consecutive years, the Seated Liberty Quarter holds the record as the longest-produced quarter design in American history. Gobrecht's obverse features Liberty seated on a rock with liberty pole and Phrygian cap, while the reverse displays a heraldic eagle. Multiple subtypes emerged from legislative changes: No Drapery (1838-1840), Drapery (1840-1853), Arrows and Rays (1853), Arrows only (1854-1855), standard without arrows (1856-1865), IN GOD WE TRUST motto (1866-1873), Arrows for weight adjustment (1873-1874), and final type (1875-1891). This progression creates a rich type-collecting framework. Carson City quarters from 1870-1878 are prized, with the 1873-CC No Arrows — only five known — ranking among the great American numismatic rarities. The series witnessed the Civil War, when silver coins vanished from circulation, and the westward expansion that brought new mints at Carson City and San Francisco. The Comstock Lode's silver output directly influenced production, connecting this coin to the great mining boom of the West.

Series Information