$2.50 · Gold · 1840–1907
Liberty Head Quarter Eagle
The smallest Liberty Head gold denomination and one of the longest-lived largely unchanged designs in United States coinage.
- Designer
- Christian Gobrecht
- Classic dates
- 1840–1907
- Mint facilities
- Philadelphia, Charlotte, Dahlonega, New Orleans, and San Francisco
01 · Overview
Why the Liberty Head Quarter Eagle matters
Introduced in 1840, the Liberty Head quarter eagle used Christian Gobrecht's coronet portrait for sixty-seven years. Unlike the eagle and half eagle, the design did not add IN GOD WE TRUST in 1866.
Its small diameter and frequent use in jewelry make careful surface and rim examination important. Branch-mint issues also provide a direct link to regional gold production in Charlotte, Dahlonega, New Orleans, and San Francisco.
02 · Design
Reading the design
Obverse
A coroneted Liberty faces left within thirteen stars, with the date below. The portrait occupies much of the small planchet, leaving compact fields where hairlines and marks can still be apparent in strong photographs.
Reverse
The heraldic eagle carries a shield, arrows, and an olive branch. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA surrounds the design and 2 1/2 D. appears below. The series has no with-motto subtype.
03 · Specifications
Nominal issue specifications
- Denomination
- $2.50
- Composition
- 90% gold, 10% copper
- Nominal weight
- 4.180 g
- Actual gold weight
- 0.12094 troy oz
- Diameter
- 18.0 mm
- Edge
- Reeded
Nominal specifications describe regular classic issues. Patterns, proofs, special strikes, production tolerances, and later commemorative or modern versions may differ.
04 · Chronology
The series in stages
01
A stable design · 1840–1907
The basic design remained substantially unchanged throughout the series. That visual continuity shifts attention toward date, mint, strike, surfaces, and preservation.
02
Southern branch mints
Charlotte and Dahlonega issues were made near regional gold sources, while New Orleans also contributed early branch-mint production.
03
Final decades
Philadelphia dominated later production, with selected San Francisco issues. The series ended as the Mint introduced the incuse Indian Head quarter eagle in 1908.
05 · Examination
What photographs should help you examine
Rims and edge
The denomination's historic use in jewelry makes a complete rim and undisturbed reeded edge especially important. Look for solder, filing, bends, or repair.
Strike on a small planchet
Check the central hair and eagle detail while also looking for luster in protected areas. Softness is not automatically wear, but it should be evaluated across both sides.
Surface texture
Cleaning can be conspicuous even on a small coin. Parallel hairlines, glossy fields, or uneven color deserve closer examination rather than being hidden by the assigned grade.
06 · Before buying
Questions the listing should answer
01
Separate metal value from numismatic value
The coin contains a known nominal amount of gold, but its market value can also reflect date, mint, variety, survival, grade, surface quality, and demand. A gold calculation is a useful reference point, not a complete valuation method.
02
Read the holder and the coin
Confirm the grading service, grade, certification number, and any documented designation, then examine the photographs independently. A third-party grade is an attributed opinion; it does not replace a review of color, luster, marks, and surface originality.
03
Treat cleaning and damage separately from wear
Circulation wear is only one part of condition. Cleaning, polishing, scratches, rim damage, mount removal, tooling, and altered surfaces can materially change how a coin is described and valued even when substantial design detail remains.
07 · Sources
Primary references
This guide is educational and intentionally type-level. Issue-specific attribution, mintage, certification, and condition should be verified for the individual coin.