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The Seated Liberty Quarter represented the face of the denomination for much of the 19th century, with pieces struck from 1838 until 1891. Six different subtypes were produced during this period, due to multiple changes to the designs and specifications that took place throughout the series.
At the time the new design for the quarter dollar was introduced, the same basic obverse design had already been in use for the half dime and dime since the previous year. The design would later be adopted for the half dollar in 1839 and the silver dollar in 1840. The “Seated Liberty” design was an old concept that was based on Britannia, who had been featured on British coins. Artist Thomas Sully made a number of sketches, which assistant engraver Christian Gobrecht would modify to become suitable for coinage.
In 1873, the authorized weight of the quarter dollar was slightly raised from 96 to 96.45 grains, the latter figure equaling 6.25 grams. To signify the new standard, arrows were added to the date of quarters produced later in 1873 and all those produced in 1874. After 1874, the weight remained the same, but the arrows were no longer used.
This arrows type is scarcer than the earlier 1853-55 arrows type due to much lower original mintages: just over 2.2 million vs. just shy of 34 million of the earlier type. The 1873-CC with arrows is rare, though not as rare as the no arrows type of the same date.
Obverse
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Depicts the figure of Liberty clad in a flowing dress and seated upon a rock. In her left hand, she holds a Liberty pole surmounted by a Phrygian cap, which had been a pre-eminent symbol of freedom during the movement of Neoclassicism (and in fact traces its roots back to Ancient Greece and Rome). Liberty's right hand rested on the top corner of a striped shield with a diagonal banner inscribed with the word "Liberty". The shield represented preparedness in the defense of freedom. The date of the coin appeared on the bottom below Liberty. Arrows are on each side of the date. LIBERTY |
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Reverse
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A left-facing bald eagle about to take flight, with a striped shield upon its breast. The eagle clutched an olive branch of peace in its right talons and a group of arrows in its left talons. Above the eagle around the rim were a ribbon with the motto "In God We Trust" and the words "United States of America". Below the eagle around the rim lay the coin denomination. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA |
Edge |