It is interesting to see how neglected the lowly quarter eagle was at the Mint over the decades compared to other denominations. Just looking at 1857, four mints made the quarter eagle, while five made the half eagle--but the total quarter eagle production in Philadelphia, Dahlonega, New Orleans, and San Francisco totals only about 320,000 pieces--less than half the number of gold dollars Philadelphia made all by itself!      

San Francisco made 69,200 quarter eagles in 1857, but like most S-mint gold of the 1850s and 1860s, the booming economy and America's bifurcated geography of the time ensured that most pieces were well circulated. Certified survivors average about Choice XF.