1881 $2.50 MS(PCGS#7833)

1881 $2.50 MS (PCGS#7833)

August 2011 Chicago ANA - Rarities Night

Lot Description: 1881 Liberty Quarter Eagle. MS-62 (PCGS). Deep yellow gold with honey and olive highlights. Decidedly prooflike in appearance with frosted motifs and mirrored fields, as typical for a coin with a tiny mintage. Some tiny scattered marks account for the grade; if this were a frosty coin the marks would be greatly diminished to the unassisted eye. Boldly struck overall with just a touch of weakness in certain eagle details. One of just 640 circulation strikes of the date produced, that figure among the smallest mintages for any date in the entire U.S. coinage spectrum, copper, nickel, silver, or gold. Tied for finest certified by PCGS, see below. The PCGS Population Report notes that fewer than 100 examples of the date are currently thought to exist, though that figure is in itself a rather high survival rate for a coin with such a low mintage. Indeed, some 59 grading events are listed by that firm, of which 13 are Uncirculated, with the present coin tied for finest graded as noted above. Easily one of the rarest highlights in the present sale, and a date that will draw the attention of advanced quarter eagle collectors as well as those aficionados who simply appreciate the issue for its high rarity factor.