The 1842-O Liberty Seated Quarter (Buy on eBay) had a total mintage of 769,000 pieces, across large date and small date varieties. The difference between the varieties can be difficult to discern without side-by-side comparison, but alternate identification methods include counting denticles beneath the date or the examining the starting location of the date in relation to Liberty. There are also subtle differences in the style or location of specific digits of the date.
The small date variety is significantly scarcer with all pieces struck form only a single die pair. Most survivors exist in low grades, also making the issue a conditional rarity. Only a handful of mint state survivors exist, with the finest known examples graded MS63. One of the examples graded NGC MS-63 with CAC verification sold for $55,812.50 in 2014.
Coin Specifications
- Designer: Christian Gobrecht
- Composition: 90% Silver, 10% Copper
- Weight: 6.68 grams
- Diameter: 24.3 mm
- Edge: Reeded
