Public domain — US Mint (coin), National Numismatic Collection (photograph by Jaclyn Nash)
Quarter Eagle · $2.50
1873 Liberty Head Quarter Eagle (1840-1907)
Closed 3; Open 3
Key Features
Closed 3: 55,225. Open 3: 122,800. Survivors: about 700 Closed 3 and 800 Open 3. Source: PCGS CoinFacts.
Intriguing History
All six gold denominations continued through the Coinage Act of 1873. Early 1873 dates used a Closed 3 whose knobs nearly touched. Chief Coiner A. Loudon Snowden complained it could be mistaken for an 8, so engravers under Chief Engraver William Barber cut an Open 3 partway through the year.
Total Weight4.18 g