United States 1834 quarter dollar
This specimen was lot 1020 in Sincona Auction 103 (Zürich, May 2026), where it sold for 275 CHF (about US$419 including buyers' fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"USA, 25 Cents 1834, Philadelphia. Liberty cap type. Sehr schön. (Very Fine.)"
The liberty cap quarter, no motto reverse, was struck 1831-38 at Philadelphia. It superseded the liberty cap quarter with the motto reverse. Steam presses and the closed collar lend this type a neat and well struck appearance and nice specimens are readily available. The seated liberty quarter, which superseded it in 1838, used a virtually identical reverse ("QUAR. DOL." replaced the "25 C." shown here). Heretofore, the mint had not attempted to produce large quantities of quarters, Mexican two reales of the same weight and fineness circulating freely.
Recorded mintage: 286,000.
Specification: 6.74 g, 0.892 fine silver, .193 troy oz ASW, 24.3 mm diameter, reeded edge, designed by William Kneass, this specimen 6.69 g.
Catalog reference: KM 55.
- Alexander, David T., Coin World Comprehensive Catalog & Encyclopedia of United States Coins, Sidney, OH: Amos Press, 1995.
- Breen, Walter H., Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U. S. and Colonial Coins, New York: Doubleday, 1987.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Yeoman, R. S., and Kenneth Bressett (ed.), A Guide Book of United States Coins, 65th Ed., Atlanta, GA: Whitman Publishing, 2011.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, Michael Hardmeier, Michael Otto, Arne Kirsch, Ruedi Kunzmann and Timur Demirai, SINCONA Auction 103: World and Swiss coins and medals, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2026.
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