USA 25 cents Seated Liberty Quarter 1878
USA, Philadelphia
Rarity
Extremely Rare
Attributes of Coins
| Region | USA |
|---|---|
| Denomination | ¼ dollar |
| Krause number | KM# A98 |
| Mintage | 800 |
| Metal | Silver 0.900 |
| thickness | 1.75 mm |
| diameter | 24.3 mm |
| weight | 6.25 g |
Obverse:
Liberty
Star
Creators:
Christian Gobrecht
LIBERTY
Reverse:
Coat of arms
Creators:
Christian Gobrecht
QUAR.DOL.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Introduction of Coins
Walter Breen reported that 1232 proofs were coined, with only 800 delivered. The term "delivered" refers to a transfer from the coiner to the medals department, which had control of proof coin sales. The other 432 coins were probably determined to be unfit for purchase and were destroyed (Larry Briggs observed that the proofs of this date were "very sloppily made"). Of the 800 pieces available for purchase, only 677 were sold, while the remainder were reportedly dumped into circulation. 1878 proof quarter dollars are a bit scarcer than several of the preceding dates, the sole exception being 1875. This fact, combined with clumsy polishing of the dies, account for the small population of gems. A single obverse die was paired with two reverses, one of them being the Type 1 die used for each date since 1872. The prevalence of so many different dates having a single reverse die shared among them hints at possible restriking of these coins a few years afterward, but this is impossible to prove.Read More
