2½ Dollars "Coronet Head - Quarter Eagle" (1857) — United States

Overview

A gold 2½ Dollars coin of the United States, known as the 'Coronet Head - Quarter Eagle'. The obverse features a coronet head facing left surrounded by 13 stars, while the reverse shows an eagle grasping arrows and an olive branch. Minted at the United States Mint of San Francisco in 1857, bearing the 'S' mintmark, with a mintage of 69,200 pieces. Composed of .900 gold and designed by Christian Gobrecht.

Specifications

Country

United States

Year

1857

Composition

Gold (.900) (.100 copper)

Weight

4.18 g

Diameter

18 mm

Mint

United States Mint of San Francisco

Mintmark

S

Shape

Round

Technique

Milled

References

KM# 72, PCGS# 1817, 7717-7732, etc.

Issuer

United States

Design details

Collector insights

• Design heritage: Christian Gobrecht is credited as the designer for the Standard circulation coins series. Designer attribution helps distinguish this issue from later restrikes or unofficial copies that reuse only the motif.
• Struck at: United States Mint of San Francisco (mintmark S). Confirm the mintmark on your example before comparing prices — same-year issues from different mints often trade at very different levels.
• Low mintage: Only 69,200 pieces reported. This puts the issue into key-date territory for its series; expect steep grade-based price scaling and a higher counterfeit risk — provenance and third-party grading matter.
• Gold issue: Gold (.900) (.100 copper) — bullion demand competes with numismatic demand. Weight and fineness (not just face value) drive the melt-value floor.
• Catalogue reference: Listed as KM# 72, PCGS# 1817, 7717-7732, etc.. Use this reference code when cross-checking auction archives, dealer inventories, and standard printed catalogues.

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