1860 $2.50 Gold Liberty Head Quarter Eagle // New Reverse // PCGS Certified MS64 // Wood Presentation Box

The $2.50 Liberty Head Gold Quarter Eagle is an iconic American coin minted from 1840 to 1907. Offered here is an exceptionally rare pre-civil war era specimen dated 1860 which has managed to survive in nearly perfect condition for 160 years. This remarkable coin has deeply mirrored fields with natural, warm golden hues, boldly contrasted with the intricate raised details of a youthful lady liberty on the obverse and majestic eagle on the reverse. In MS64 condition (on the official grading scale of 1 to 70), only 7 coins have been graded finer by PCGS, with MS65 being the finest known. You will receive the very unique coin shown in the photos housed in a plush-lined wood box with piano black finish and ONR certificate of authenticity.

In 1838, the United States Mint sought to redesign the circulating $2.50, $5, and $10 gold pieces. Although the $2.50 and $5 denominations had been produced with some degree of regularity in the 1830s featuring the Classic Head design, a $10 gold coin had not been minted since the Draped Bust type of 1804. Chief Engraver Christian Gobrecht created a new, uniform design for these three denominations—a distinctly neoclassical motif inspired by the portrait of Venus in the famous 1809 painting Omnia Vincit Amor (Love Conquers All) by Benjamin West. The resulting Liberty Head or “Coronet Head” gold coins featured a depiction of Miss Liberty on the obverse with her hair secured in a bun by a string of beads and wearing a coronet inscribed with LIBERTY. Thirteen stars encircle the rim and the date appears below. The tasteful simplicity of this Greco-Roman profile was reminiscent of many artistic renderings found in prominent European museums at the time. The reverse of the coins depicts a heraldic eagle with a shield on its chest. In the talons of the great bird are olive branches and arrows—symbolic of a peaceful nation but one that is poised for war. This reverse design was not remarkably different from earlier gold coins, though the eagle’s wingspan was widened to better fill the fields.

The $10 coins debuted in 1838, followed by the $5 coins in 1839 and the $2.50 coins in 1840. The $1 and $20 Liberty Head gold pieces were not added to complete the series until 1849, albeit with slightly different designs. Although these coins underwent a few minor design modifications over the subsequent decades, this basic design prevailed for over 70 years.