Scarce in all grades, the 1853 Dahlonega quarter eagle is rare in Mint State and unknown any finer than the MS62 level. The latest Doug Winter reference pegs the number of surviving pieces in all grades at 85 to 105 coins — a figure echoed by PCGS CoinFacts, which suggests that under 100 pieces are known. Just 3,179 pieces were struck. We have sold just one MS62 example in the past 13 years, and that was five years ago.
This brassy-gold example shows a minimum of marks for the grade, with a thin line of mint grease that passes through the right side of star 7 to Liberty’s hair. Some flecks of deep-gray build-up surround the stars, while soft min luster glows from both sides. The obverse strike is unusually sharp at the stars, with the normal soft definition on the eagle’s legs and talons as well as the curls below LIBER as is always the case for the 1853-D. Neither NGC nor PCGS report a finer submission.
Learn more at the Newman Numismatic Portal at Washington University in St. Louis.