From the earliest days of U.S. federal coinage until 1834, the quarter eagle was strictly an afterthought, produced at sporadic intervals and in minute quantities, likely only to order for customers specifically requesting the 'odd' denomination. (The large cent, silver half dollar, and half eagle were the workhorses of early U.S. commerce.) The mintage of quarter eagles for 1825, recorded as 4,434 coins (not necessarily all dated 1825), is a case in point.