1796 25C B-2, R.3, AU55 PCGS....

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1796 Draped Bust Quarter, B-2, AU55
Inaugural One-Year Type
Widely Sought in All Grades

1796 25C B-2, R.3, AU55 PCGS. Tompkins Die State 2/1, with Liberty's lower curl partly lapped. The 1796 Draped Bust quarter has many special attributes. To quote Jeff Garrett and Ron Guth in their 100 Greatest U.S. Coins reference:

"The 1796 quarter dollar possesses the attributes required of a great coin: the mintage is tiny, it is a one-year type coin, and it is the first year of issue for both the design and the denomination."

The 1796 quarter employed the same Draped Bust, Small Eagle design used on the dollar since 1795. That year, Mint Director Henry William DeSaussure persuaded well-known portraitist Gilbert Stuart to create a portrait of Liberty to be used on future coinage. Stuart's model was Mrs. William Bingham of Philadelphia, a renowned beauty and the wife of a wealthy banker who also served as a U.S. senator from 1795 to 1801. Although the new design may be distinctly more attractive than the Flowing Hair design of Robert Scot, Stuart was apparently disappointed with the new coins, according to Walter Breen (1988), resulting in the suppression of the story of Stuart's involvement with the Mint for many years thereafter. In fact, Stuart's role in developing the Draped Bust design of Liberty was only published in 1861.

The total mintage of 1796 quarters was 6,146 coins delivered on four different dates. Henry Voigt, the Chief Coiner delivered to the Mint Treasurer, Dr. Benjamin Rush, 1,800 pieces on April 9, 1796; 2,530 pieces on May 27, 1796; 1,564 pieces on June 14, 1796; and 252 coins several months later on February 28, 1797. Fortunately for present-day numismatists, a number of high-quality specimens were preserved by early collectors.

Two die varieties are known for the date. This coin represents the more available B-2 variety, with Y above T in LIBERTY and the 6 in the date placed high. The two varieties share a common reverse. Die evidence indicates the B-2 variety was actually struck before the B-1 version.

The present coin is an impressive Choice AU specimen, with only a trace of wear on the strongly impressed design elements. The lightly abraded surfaces are blanketed in attractive shades of bluish-gray toning, with traces of original mint luster underneath. The overall presentation is most attractive for this classic early American rarity.
Population: 19 in 55, 55 finer (7/24).
From The Duffy Family Collection.

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 23RA, Variety PCGS# 38920, Base PCGS# 5310, Greysheet# 212663)

Weight: 6.74 grams

Metal: 89.24% Silver, 10.76% Copper

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