If You’re Looking For Stunning American Eagle Gold Coins, Then Check Out This 2-Piece Set of 1908-1929 Indian Quarter Eagle/Half Eagle Coins With Bonus!
It is believed that the $20 Saint-Gaudens, or double eagle, gold coin is the most breathtakingly beautiful coin in U.S. history. However, there are two smaller American eagle gold coins from the same period in history that steal the limelight, due to their bold and cutting-edge design. That would be the $2.50 and $5 gold coins, also known as the Indian Head quarter eagle and half eagle. Nonetheless, these two particular gold coins were not exactly welcomed with open arms. First of all, these coins are quite unusual because their relief is incuse. For those of you not of the numismatic world, this means that the motifs and legends are sunken in a surface that is uniformly flat. Other traditional coins have the legends raised above the surface of the coin and rely on the rim for protection.
A close friend of President Roosevelt, William S. Bigelow, who was a physician and art collector from Boston, proposed the unique idea of the incused design, and the President proudly approved it. This design would be able to reduce wear and tear and avoid replacement costs on legal tender coinage. But people complained that the depressed design would be a dirt collector and thus, a germ breeder and in addition, would be easy to counterfeit. There was also griping that these coins wouldn’t stack properly, of all things!
Meticulous In Detail With Stunning Eye Appeal—Unique Quarter Eagle Coins
One of the most sought after coins, which a collector would love to add to his or her collection, is the rare Quarter Eagle. These exquisite coins, which are of the highest value, were minted in the 1800’s. The rarity of these eagle quarters was realized as early as the 1920’s by collectors. The most valuable one is the Liberty Gold Eagle, which was minted from 1816 through 1857, featuring a new design by Christian Gobrecht. His composition of Miss Liberty’s head became the most widely accepted and long-lasting of all coinage designs of the nineteenth century. This particular coin has, on the obverse, the inspiring image of Lady Liberty, facing to the left, with “Liberty” inscribed on her crown. She also has thirteen stars surrounding her. The reverse has the American bald eagle, with a shield on its chest and an olive branch and arrows clutched in its talons.
Another one of the hard-to-find quarter eagles, which are highly coveted, is the proof 1878 Quarter Eagle. This proof was actually part of only three other proofs that had a minting of less than twenty in total. Many of the gold proofs that were minted only had a run of about one hundred total, during the entire history of the eagle quarters. During the 1800’s to the early 1900’s, proofs were struck in gold for the sole purpose of collectors. The 1878 Quarter Eagle is one of the most uncommon quarter eagles that can still be found. It is reported that there are maybe only a handful of these quarters still in existence. There are two of these rare quarters that have been impounded and stored. One is at the Smithsonian and the other is at the American Numismatists Society. It has been reported, that in recent years, there have been only a few show up on the auction market, which have turned quite a bit of profit for the person who was selling them.
The reason that the unique quarter eagles are so sought after is the fact that they were struck with such a high gold content. These particular eagles were put into production by an act of Congress in 1792, as a derivation of the ten dollar eagle. Since there were very few of these quarters struck prior to 1832, it adds to their rarity. It was initially valued at $2.50, but is worth so much more in today’s terms. Some of these difficult-to-locate quarter eagles have been known to sell for in upwards of millions of dollars, depending on the overall grade of the coin. There are many variations of these quarter eagles. Some of these are the Liberty Head, the Capped Head and the Indian Head quarters. You would be very hard pressed to find any serious collector who wouldn’t want to add one of these quarters to his or her collection. Part of the reason it is so hard to find one of these rare quarters, is the fact that the life expectancy of proof gold was only half of its original mintage. During the entire history of the quarter eagle, there were only two that were also associated with commemorative coins. These were the 1915-S Panama-Pacific Exposition Quarter Eagle and the 1926 Independence Sesquicentennial Quarter Eagle. Whether for fun or for profit, collecting these bullion coins is an investment in the history of our great nation.
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The Quarter Eagle, A Unique $2.50 Gold Piece—Truly A Treasured Find!
The $2.50 gold piece, or more commonly called the Quarter Eagle, was given the name Quarter Eagle by an act of Congress in 1792. It is a common misconception that the term “eagle” was just slang, but thanks to the Coinage Act, it formally secured that name in the annals of history. The Quarter Eagle was designed initially by Robert Scot. It was a denominational variation of the ten gold eagles. It was minted in very limited quantities, during the 1800’s and early 1900’s.
Prior to 1933, it was common practice of the government to mint coins with gold, due to the fact that it was the common standard on which monetary value was based. When they were initially started in production, the gold content varied until the fineness of it was set at .900 by an act of Congress in 1837. It was in the 20’s and 30’s that numismatics truly realized the collectible value of these coins, especially the gold proofs that were made. Some of the proofs were only minted in quantities of about twenty, but never exceeded one hundred in total.
The most commonly known, rare $2.50 gold piece is the 1878 Liberty Gold Eagle. The obverse of this coin contains a bust of Lady Liberty, her face pointing to the left, wearing a coronet emblazoned with the word “Liberty”. The reverse is adorned by an American bald eagle, grasping an olive branch and arrows in its talons. This particular coin was probably melted down after it went unsold, due to the purity level of the gold used in the proof. Today only a few of these particularly rare $2.50 quarter eagles exist in collections around the world. There is one that is impounded in the Smithsonian. In today’s terms, the true value of this coin would be over thirty dollars. In recent years, one of these coins sold at auction for $32,570.00.
For any serious collector, having the opportunity to add one of these rare $2.50 gold pieces to their collection, is a driving force behind the high selling prices of them at auction. For someone to find a rare $2.50 quarter eagle, that was struck prior to 1834, it is extremely unusual and truly a treasured find. Proofs of these coins, that were struck prior to 1856, are unequivocally rare coins to find and to be coveted in whatever condition they are found. When the U.S. went off the gold standard in 1933, it made finding one of the Quarter Eagles even more difficult. There are several variations of these uncommon $2.50 gold pieces; some of which are the Capped Head, the Liberty Head and the Indian Head quarter. Each of these variations has a different face, but the flip side of it also has the iconic symbol of our nation, the majestic bald eagle. That rare collector, who has the fortune to possess even one of these rare and incredible coins in their collection, has the ability to not only brag about having such a unique coin, but also be able to hold a piece of our nation’s financial history. You can find some of these rare quarter eagles at GovMint.com! Click here!
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