Bust Quarters
Draped Bust Quarters
Coin collectors appreciate the variety of quarters that are available to them. Today most people are familiar with the George Washington and "US States" series, but there are some other quarter designs that hold a special appeal for collectors. Perhaps one of the best loved designs is the one known as a Draped Bust quarter. The first of the Draped Bust engraving dies dates back to the 18th century. At that time the chief engraver for the US Mint was Robert Scot. He created the draped bust profile of Lady Liberty for the first US quarter minted in 1796.
On the front of these coins is a bust profile of Lady Liberty. The backs of these coins are stamped with an eagle design. The 1796 quarters are unique with the combination of the draped bust design on their front and a "small eagle" stamped on the reverse. 1796 quarters are the only ones that have the "small eagle" stamp and this has made them a hot find for any true collector.
Because of to their scarcity, due in large part to limited production, the 1796 quarters are highly coveted. Today these quarters command premium prices regardless of their overall condition. If you can locate one of the 1796 Draped Bust-Small Eagle coins in good condition you will pay about $9,500. You should expect to pay 26-30,000 for one of these quarters if it is in fine condition.
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Another extremely rare date is the 1804 Draped Bust quarter. This coin has an aggressive, heraldic eagle emblem stamped on the reverse side. The front/obverse design is the same one that is used on the Draped Bust quarters from 1804-1807. Due to the fact that this design had a run of several years the prices for an 1804 Draped Bust quarter are not as prohibitive as the ones for the 1796 Draped Bust-Small Eagle specimens. But due to a very low mintage numbers in 1804, this date can be very hard to come by. A collector might be able to find one of the 1804 quarters for less than $5000.
If you want a coin that depicts the Draped Bust-Heraldic Eagle design, and you are willing to accept a year other than 1804, the prices are even better. Most of the quarters that were minted from 1805-1807 will cost anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to several thousand. For many coin collectors these more common dates are the best way to obtain a beautiful example of the first US quarters at a reasonable price.
Capped Bust Quarters
John Reich was the engraver who created the design for the original capped bust quarter. These coins were produced for a limited number of years. The first minting occurred in 1815 and these coins had a Lady Liberty profile that was strikingly different from the ones that were authorized by Robert Scot. While Scot's depiction of Lady Liberty was one that embodied a stern, no-nonsense attitude, this new Lady had a gentle smile and beribboned cap on her head. These quarters seem almost festive when you first look at them.
It is interesting to note that the cap on the head of Lady Liberty had the word, "Liberty" printed on the headband. This was very much like caps that were then being given to freed slaves. While some people took issue with this type of headwear being featured on the nation's coins, President Jefferson agreed that the cap was appropriate and looked like others worn by women of this era. On the back of these quarters is an eagle, but this eagle has outstretched wings and a less threatening appearance than the heraldic eagle that it replaced.
The capped bust quarters are separated into 2 distinct classes. One is the large size which is the original design. The large capped bust coins were printed from 1815 until 1828. In 1831 the newly designed, small capped bust quarters were introduced. This smaller quarter had a diameter of 24.3mm, and this measurement is still being used for our modern quarters.
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 1815 Capped Bust Quarter VG  US $66.05
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 1835 CAPPED BUST QUARTER 25C HIGH GRADE LK 3338 US $299.00
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 1838 Capped Bust Quarter ICG VF25 Problem Free US $78.88
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 1825 4 2 CAPPED BUST QUARTER PROBLEM FREE XF US $500.00
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