1860-C $2.50 MS(PCGS#7792)

February 2026 Showcase Auction - The James A. Stack, Sr. Collection Part II

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

23010

Grade

XF45

Price

9,000

Lot Description

An uncommonly original, deep orange-honey example with enhancing blushes of reddish-rose evident as the coin rotates under a light. From an issuing mint that is not known for the quality of its product, the 1860-C quarter eagle ranks among the most poorly produced of any denomination struck at Charlotte. Soft detail in and around the centers is accentuated here by overall light wear from commercial use, although the latter, of course, is consistent with the grade returned by PCGS. Areas of mint-made roughness are also commonplace for the 1860-C, and the Stack coin reveals these most readily as shallow depressions in the lower right obverse field and in the reverse field around the eagle. Peripheral detail is somewhat bolder, especially on the obverse where most stars show good centril delineation, and both sides are refreshingly free of detracting marks from commercial handling. Also revealing no evidence of numismatic mishandling, this richly original and handsome piece represents among the finest in quality obtainable in a circulated 1860-C quarter eagle.<p>Writing in the 2008 edition of his reference <em>Gold Coins of the Charlotte Mint: 1838-1861</em>, Doug Winter reports that the majority of domestic gold deposits at the Charlotte Mint were from sources in North Carolina. South Carolina gold peaked in 1852 and 1853, at $64,934 and $61,845, respectively. This latter source contributed little in the following years, and although the first California gold was deposited in 1851 ("presumably deposited by miners returning to their North Carolina homes, " as Winter speculates), metal from the West Coast remained limited and was never able to support an extensive coinage at the Charlotte Mint on its own. Yearly quarter eagle mintages remained below the 10,000-coin level beginning in 1852, a situation that continued even despite fairly steady deposits from North Carolina through June 1860, and one final deposit of $65,558 in South Carolina gold from July 1860 through March 1861.<p>Much of the gold from these final deposits from South Carolina went into half eagles of the 1860-C and 1861-C issues, this being the preferred denomination among gold bullion depositors, as it had been since the beginning of U.S. Mint coinage in the 1790s. The Charlotte Mint quarter eagle series, on the other hand, passed into history in 1860 with a paltry mintage of 7,469 coins. (The 1859-C is the final gold dollar issue from this mint; no $3, $10, or $20 coins were ever struck at Charlotte.) All known examples of the 1860-C quarter eagle were struck from a single die pairing, which shares its reverse with the 1856-C and 1858-C issues. Survivors are scarce and number only 155 to 205 in all grades (per Winter). With most well worn in grades or EF-40 or lower, and many at all levels impaired or otherwise no longer retaining the originality of their surfaces, a premium PCGS/CAC EF-45 such as this is a noteworthy condition rarity. A highlight of the Southern gold offerings from the James A. Stack, Sr. Collection, this lovely example is eagerly awaiting inclusion in another impressive gold cabinet.