1838-C $2.50 MS(PCGS#7697)

1838-C $2.50 MS (PCGS#7697)

June 2026 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Lot Description: Eagerly sought, yet seldom offered PCGS-certified Choice AU quality for this key date Southern gold issue. The surfaces offer an uncommon degree of eye appeal for the type with glints of reddish-apricot patina to dominant honey-gold color. Appreciable frosty luster remains, as does generally sharp striking detail that comes up significantly short only at the high points in and around the centers, where the most noticeable rub is concentrated. Free of troublesome marks and refreshingly smooth in hand, this is a premium quality example for the assigned grade that would serve with distinction in an advanced Southern gold cabinet.<p>A delivery of 2,104 coins in July 1838 inaugurated quarter eagle coinage at the Charlotte Mint. An additional 5,776 pieces were struck later for a total reported mintage of 7,880 coins for the 1838-C, achieved using a single die pairing on which the C mintmark is boldly and widely repunched. Daryl J. Haynor provides an estimate of only 150 survivors in all grades in his excellent reference <em>United States Classic Gold Coins of 1834-1839</em> (2020). Most 1838-C quarter eagles succumbed to heavy commercial use. Since the typical survivor is impaired due to cleaning or damage, that offered here is clearly one of the finest circulated examples that we have ever offered.