1807 25C MS(PCGS#5316)

November 2025 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

2058

Grade

MS63

Price

17,400

Lot Description

Tompkins Die Stage 4/2, Rea et al. Die State P. Lustrous with a soft satin texture, this is a conditionally scarce Mint State example of a challenging early quarter dollar design type. Both sides are handsomely toned in a gentle mottling of antique gold, champagne-pink, and steel-gray. The toning is iridescent in quality to allow full appreciation of the mint finish. Detail is a bit light in isolated areas, both in the centers and at the peripheries, but this is a generally bold piece that offers uncommon sharpness in a Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle quarter. Tied for CC#4 for the 1807 Browning-1 dies based on the 2012 Rea et al. census.<p>The 1807 is not only the final issue of the Draped Bust design type, but also the final year of quarter dollar production until the denomination returned in 1815. Over this interval, half dollars remained the largest coin of the realm, continuing the situation that began when silver dollar coinage was suspended in 1804. Despite Jefferson's insistence that the Mint make small silver coins for common people, at this point the decision of what kind of coins were to be struck was up to the persons depositing the bullion, not the Mint. Given that most depositors were banks or corporate entities, coins of larger value were preferred. Although the mintage for quarters surpassed 200,000 coins per year in both 1806 and 1807, there would not be two consecutive years with mintages surpassing even 150,000 quarters again until the 1830s.<p>Numismatists have identified two die varieties of the 1807-dated quarter issue. In lower grades, neither variety is a rarity. In the finer Mint State grades, as here, each is an object of great desire. This date is often chosen by type collectors, but even those who pursue exclusively Mint State coins often must settle for lower grades, or coins certified at high grades but exhibiting poor aesthetic appeal. The present example has it all - superior striking quality, condition rarity, strong eye appeal - and it is sure to please.