1881 $2.50 AU50 认证号12110696, PCGS号7833

ex.NGC#1716038-057 Richmond Collection, prooflike fields.

Ron Guth

The 1881 Quarter Eagle is one of the rarest and most popular dates in the series.  Our experts estimate that fewer than 100 examples are still in existence.  As a result, this date is also one of the most expensive Liberty Head Quarter Eagles.

Years ago, David Akers wrote that he was unaware of any full Mint State 1881 Quarter Eagles.  In subsequent years, a number of low-end Mint State examples have shown up on the Population Reports, mostly in MS61 and MS62.  A standout 1881 Quarter Eagle is the PCGS MS63+ that was once called a Proof in B. Max Mehl's sale of the Jerome Kern collection way back in 1950.  

Because there are so many Prooflike 1881 Quarter Eagles, certification is a must to determine if a particular coin is Proof or Mint State.

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David Akers (1975/88)

A very popular and rare date with one of the lowest mintages in the entire series. In fact, the 1881 has the third lowest regular mintage of any Liberty Head quarter eagle. The 1881 quarter eagle is significantly more rare than the more popular $3 gold piece of the same date, particularly in high grade. I have never seen a full mint state 1881 and even most of the "AU" pieces I've seen were really impaired proofs, rather than high grade circulation strikes. In my experience, business strikes in all grades are more rare than proofs or impaired proofs, and are very underrated.