By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes …..
Liberty Head Quarter Eagles were struck at all four mints in 1847. The New Orleans Mint struck the most, more than four times the Philadelphia Mint and over 100,000 more than the Charlotte and Dahlonega mints individually.
Philadelphia shipped three 1847-dated obverse and five O-mint reverse Liberty Head Quarter Eagle dies to New Orleans in late 1846. With this allocation, the New Orleans Mint produced 124,000 $2.50 gold coins, more than double its output in 1846 and the highest New Orleans Mint quarter eagle mintage since 1843.
| New Orleans Mint Coin Production in 1847 | |||
| 1847-O Liberty Seated Quarter | 368,000 | ||
| 1847-O Liberty Seated Half Dollar | 2,584,000 | ||
| 1847-O Liberty Head Quarter Eagle | 124,000 | ||
| 1847-O Liberty Head Half Eagle | 12,000 | ||
| 1847-O Liberty Head Eagle | 571,500 | ||
The increased mintage came at a cost, however, as nearly every 1847-O Liberty Head Quarter Eagle comes weakly struck, with poor detail on the stars, Liberty’s diadem, and hair on the obverse and the eagle and inscriptions on the reverse. In addition, it appears that the coiners overused the dies as many examples survive with prominent die cracks and clashed die images.
Gold coin and southern mint specialist Doug Winter enumerates seven die marriages for the issue, with three obverse dies married to five reverses.
1847-O Liberty Head Quarter Eagle, Obverse 1
Obverse 1 was used to strike varieties 1, 4, and 5. Doubled 18 in the date. The serif of the 1 touches the denticles.
1847-O Liberty Head Quarter Eagle, Obverse 3
Obverse 3 was used to strike varieties 3, 6, and 7. The tip of the 1 touches the bust truncation, while the base is positioned above the denticles.
* * *
Market Data and Noteworthy Specimens
Top Population: PCGS MS64 (2, 8/2024), NGC MS65 (1, 4/2024), and CAC MS64 (1:0 stickered:holdered, 8/2024).
- PCGS MS64 CAC #84296945: Legend Rare Coin Auctions, March 21, 2019, Lot 392 – $38,775. Two tiny ticks between stars 12 and 13. Faint clash image on the reverse. Sharply struck for an O-Mint coin.
- PCGS MS63+ #43978194: Heritage Auctions, July 14, 2022, Lot 3210 – $19,200. Die crack from star 2 to chin. Curved cut below star 5. Diagonal hit to the right of star 12.
- PCGS MS63 #45645377: As NGC MS63 #1909108-007. Heritage Auctions, February 2009, Lot 2488; Heritage Auctions, August 26, 2022, Lot 4808 – $16,200. As PCGS MS63 #45645377. Heritage Auctions, July 20, 2023, Lot 3181 – $15,000. Variety 2. Die crack from star 3 to nose. LIBERTY softly struck. All stars weak. 4 Weak. Diagonal streak between stars 4 and 5. Eagle and inscriptions weak.
- PCGS MS63 #10989187: “The Baltimore Collection, Part Two,” Heritage Auctions, October 14, 2011, Lot 4664 – $14,950; Heritage Auctions, March 9, 2012, Lot 3945 – $14,950. Variety 4. Die crack through star 7 to hair and another through star 11 to hair. Hair and eagle weakly struck. Stars clearly struck, save for star 5. Two diagonal marks in the right obverse field below stars 4 and 5. On the reverse, circular die crack through lower inscriptions.
- NGC MS63 #1909108-007: “The Grand Lake Collection,” Heritage Auctions, February 6, 2009, Lot 2488 – $9,775. Variety 2. Weakly struck, stars, LIBERTY, hair, eagle.
* * *
1847-O Liberty Head Quarter Eagle Coin Specifications
| Country: | United States of America |
| Year of Issue: | 1847 |
| Denomination: | Two Dollars and Fifty Cents (USD) |
| Mintmark: | O (New Orleans) |
| Mintage: | 124,000 |
| Alloy: | .900 Gold, .100 Copper |
| Weight: | 4.18 g |
| Diameter: | 18.00 mm |
| Edge: | Reeded |
| OBV Designer: | Christian Gobrecht |
| REV Designer: | Christian Gobrecht |
| Quality: | Business Strike |
* * *
