1873 $2.50 Closed 3 PR(PCGS#7899)

December 2025 Showcase Auction - The James A. Stack, Sr. Collection Part I

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

22175

Grade

PR61

Price

10,200

Lot Description

Only our second offering for this issue since 2016, and understandably so, since the Proof 1873 quarter eagle is a significant rarity in the classic gold series. This is a handsome piece with deep, rich, olive-gold color that brightens to vivid pinkish-orange as the coin turns into direct lighting. The design elements remain razor sharp from a fully executed strike, and much reflectivity is discernible in the fields. A few tiny lint marks on Liberty's portrait are as made, but there are also numerous scattered handling marks on that side that explain the Proof-61 numeric grade from PCGS, the most significant of which are located in the lower right field. The reverse is far smoother in appearance and reveals only faint hairlines under close scrutiny.<p>It is reported that just 25 quarter eagles were struck in this format dated 1873, illustrating the limited demand for Proofs at the time. In the 1880s, however, mintages of Proofs expanded considerably. With so few coins struck to begin with, this issue has always been a rarity and it is quite likely that time has only made them more so, even as collector demand has increased dramatically.<p>While circulation strike quarter eagles of 1873 come with both Open and Close 3 varieties, the Proofs were only struck using the Close 3 in the date. PCGS estimates that there are between 16 and 20 examples known in all grades, although John W. Dannreuther (2018) takes a more conservative view with only 12 to 14 coins believed extant. Regardless of exactly how many are known, this is obviously an extreme rarity with the present specimen having much to tempt advanced gold enthusiasts.