Description
The first $2.50 gold piece, or
quarter eagle, was authorized by a Congressional act on April 2, 1792.
Several design changes were made throughout the history of $2.50 gold
piece. In 1840 Christian Gobrecht redesigned the $2.50 gold coin to
create the $2.50 Liberty Head, also referred to as the $2.50 Coronet
Type. This is the longest spanning design without a major change or
alteration (very minor changes were made to the design on the reverse)
in American coinage history.
Design
The goal of Christian Gobrecht's
design was to make the $2.50 gold piece similar to the design of the
larger gold coins of the day such as the $10 and $20 Liberty gold
coins. Like the other coins, the obverse features Lady Liberty, whose
hair is worn in a tight bun secured by a string of beads with loose
curls hanging down her neck. She is wearing a coronet inscribed with
the word 'Liberty'; thirteen stars representing the thirteen original
colonies and the date of issue surround her.
The reverse features a proud bald eagle with wings spread, standing
among olive branches. The eagle clinches three arrows in his talons,
and has a shield featuring stars and stripes upon his chest. The words
'UNITED STATES OF AMERICA', the denomination, and the Mint Mark
surround the eagle.
Minting Information
The Philadelphia mint produced
$2.50 Liberty gold coins every year of their circulation from 1840
through 1907. Before the Civil War, additional pieces were struck at
Charlotte, Dahlonega, and New Orleans. The San Francisco Mint produced
$2.50 Liberty Heads for certain years from 1854 and onward.
California $2.50 Gold Piece
In 1848, the
military Governor of California sent 230 ounces of pure gold to his
Secretary of War. It was decided that the coins would be minted into
quarter eagles. To distinguish these coins, the letters 'CAL' were
punched above the heraldic eagle on the reverse.
| Detailed Coin Information |
| Designer: Jame B. Longacre |
| Gross Weight: 4.18g |
Gold Content: 0.12094 oz. |
| Composition: 90% gold, 10% copper |
| Diameter: 18mm |
| Dates: 1840-1907 |
| Mints: Charlotte (1840-42; 1843-44; 1846-52; 1854-56; 1858; 1859), Dahlonega (1840-57; 1859), New Orleans (1840; 1842-43; 1845-47; 1850-52; 1854; 1856-57), Philadelphia (all dates), and San Francisco (1854; 1856-57; 1859-63; 1865-73; 1875-79) |
