1796 25C MS(PCGS#5310)

1796 25C MS (PCGS#5310)

June 2025 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Losbeschreibung: Tompkins Die Stage 3/indeterminate, Rea et al. Die State a, with a heavy obverse break from the upper border, through the letter E in LIBERTY, to the highest wave of Liberty's hair. An eminently collectible grade point for this historic, popular, yet elusive Draped Bust quarter issue. Both sides are deeply and evenly toned in mauve-gray, the obverse periphery further enhanced by a halo of bolder steely-charcoal. Wear is commensurate with the assigned grade, portions of the reverse periphery faint to absent, but the eagle is fairly well outlined, and all major design elements on the obverse are complete. Smooth in hand with no sizeable marks, although accuracy compels us to mention a pair of light scratches on the reverse forming a X through the eagle's neck.<p>The 1796 quarter has long been an object of desire for all who form type sets of American coinage. Struck only in this single year, the Draped Bust obverse in combination with the Small Eagle reverse is very rare relative to the demand for it, as no type set can be complete without an example. Survivors are scarce as the mintage was just 6,146 pieces. The Mint required two obverse dies and one reverse to achieve this mintage, with Browning-1, as offered here, the scarcer by a small margin. This is the Low 6 variety of the issue, so named because the digit 6 in the date is further from the bust than on the B-2 High 6 variety.