Quarter Eagle May Be Worth a Lot

Question: I recently received an 1856 $2 1/2 gold coin. It has a Liberty head and is in very good condition. Could you let me know how much this coin may be worth?--W.J.C.

Answer: On the surface, the answer is quite simple. Your quarter eagle is worth $200 and up, depending upon condition. But it’s more complicated than that.

Quarter eagles, an interesting denomination, were minted from 1796 to 1929. This distinguished series not only has many dates, but there were also many design changes plus different varieties within the types. In addition, the coin was produced at different mints. Your coin, issued shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War, not only came from the Philadelphia Mint, which was the workhorse of the day, but also from some branch mints. It is the coins from the branch mints that carry the extra premium because of their low mintages.

As an example, the Philadelphia Mint (no mint mark) produced 384,240 $2 1/2 gold pieces in 1856. But the Charlotte (N.C.) Mint (a C mint mark) produced only 7,913 of these coins, the Dahlonega (Ga.) Mint (D mint mark) produced 874, the New Orleans Mint (0 mint mark) issued 21,100 and the San Francisco Mint (S mint mark) made 72,120.

As you can see, the lower mintages from the branch mints make those coins more valuable, providing the condition is equal. So, while the basic price is about $200, yours could be worth considerably more. Look for a mint mark on the reverse, just above the 2 1/2 D. If you find a C or D, congratulations. You’re in the money.

Q: After my brother’s death, we found nine 10- and 20-mark gold pieces, Deutsches Reich, dated 1872, 1888, 1894, 1895 and 1893. The coins are in good shape. What are they worth?--H.E.M.

A: Your German coins are essentially bullion pieces. The 10 marks are worth about $75 each; the 20 marks are in the $95 to $110 range each.

Coin News

The Jaffa, eighth coin in the Sites of the Holyland series, is now available. The three-coin Jaffa set commemorates one of Israel’s oldest cities, predating biblical days. The three coins share a common reverse (pictured) featuring the Jaffa port as seen from the sea. The obverse depicts the denominations--5 new shekels (for the gold coin); 1 new shekel (the silver proof) and one-half new shekel (for the silver uncirculated coin). The edged 12-sided sections allude to the 12 tribes of Israel. Three-coin sets are $260; the gold coin separately is $195 and a set of both silver coins is $64. To order contact Intergold, Israel Coins and Medals, 23326 Hawthorne Blvd., Suite 150, Torrance 90505; (800) 472-6327.

Four Certsales, consisting of coins certified by the Professional Coin Grading Service and Numismatic Guaranty Corp., have been scheduled for 1990 by Pacific Coast Auction Galleries. Sales are planned in conjunction with Long Beach shows Jan. 31, May 30 and Oct. 10 as well as the combined American Numismatic Assn./Professional Numismatists Guild Midwinter Convention in San Diego on March 1. Pacific Coast Auction Galleries is also holding two sales, May 31-June 1 at Long Beach and Sept. 6-8 at the Hong Kong International Coin Show. Consignors should contact Mel Wacks of the auction firm, 1013 State St., Santa Barbara 93101; (805) 962-3197.

More than 1,800 coins, including a proof 1894-S dime, one of only 11 known, will be auctioned Jan. 16-18 in the James A. Stack Sr. and Teich Family sale in New York. For catalogues, contact Stack’s, 123 W. 57th St., New York, N.Y. 10019; telephone (212) 582-2580.

Here’s some additional information on the sale of the R.H. Gore Jr. and Dennis Irving Long collection to be held Jan. 24-26 at the Pasadena Convention Center in conjunction with the Golden State Coin Show. The 4,700-coin auction will be held in six sessions and features a MS-63 1796 quarter, a very fine-30 1794 $1, a proof-63 1839 $1, proof-65 1895 $1, a rare 1795 $5 gold piece, a 1915-S Panama-Pacific octagonal $50 commemorative and many other rarities. For a catalogue, contact Auctions by Bowers & Merena, (800) 458-4646.

The Soviet Union has gone into the coin business in the United States with two new offerings. One is the palladium Ballerina, a 1-ounce coin with a mintage of 30,000, with 3,000 in proof condition. This is the first legal-tender palladium coin ever issued. Also available is Series II of the Russian Historical Coin Collection. There will be 3,000 four-coin sets available to Americans; the sets consist of the 1-ounce silver “Moscow Kremlin” coin, the 1-ounce silver “First All-Russia” coin, the half-ounce platinum “Encounter on the Ugra River” coin and the 1-ounce “Ivan III--Founder of the Russian State” coin. Four-piece sets are $695. For these and the Ballerina, contact MTB Banking Corp., (800) 535-7481.