Numismatic

1857 $2.50 Liberty Gold Quarter Eagle AU

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Struck in the decade preceding the American Civil War, this 1857 gold coin represents a long-running chapter in United States coinage. Minted in Philadelphia, this Quarter Eagle carries no mint mark, a traditional feature of the nation's primary minting facility during the nineteenth century. Each of these pieces contains 0.12094 troy ounces of gold, combined with copper to create a durable 90 percent pure alloy. The obverse side showcases a left-facing profile of Liberty. Her hair is secured by a band clearly inscribed with the word LIBERTY, and she is encircled by thirteen stars representing the original colonies. On the reverse, a detailed heraldic eagle stands with a protective shield across its chest. The bird holds arrows and an olive branch, surrounded by the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the abbreviated denomination 2 1/2 D. This specific design was the work of Christian Gobrecht and enjoyed an incredibly long production run spanning from 1840 to 1907. Surviving in About Uncirculated condition, this coin offers a fascinating look at mid-nineteenth-century American minting artistry, preserving crisp details from a bygone era of circulating precious metal.