USA 25 cents Seated Liberty Quarter 1855
USA, San Francisco
Rarity
Scarce
Attributes of Coins
| Region | USA |
|---|---|
| Denomination | ¼ dollar |
| Krause number | KM# 81 |
| Mintage | 396,400 |
| Metal | Silver 0.900 |
| diameter | 24.3 mm |
| weight | 6.22 g |
Obverse:
Liberty
Star
Creators:
Christian Gobrecht
LIBERTY
Reverse:
Coat of arms
Creators:
Christian Gobrecht
QUAR.DOL.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Introduction of Coins
Scarce in all grades, the vast majority of 1855-S quarters are heavily worn and/or damaged. Briggs reported that a number of examples were fashioned into items of jewelry, a fad of the time typically associated with dimes or half dimes. Two obverse dies were paired with three reverses for a total of four die marriages. None of these varieties is of particular interest to collectors, and both reverses feature the Large S typical of that mint's first year of silver coinage. Though the San Francisco Mint had begun coining gold the previous year, the refining of silver required parting acids that were in shorty supply in the West. The transcontinental railroad was then still 14 years away, so this facility faced chronic shortages of such chemicals.Read More
