RARE AND IMPORTANT CONDITION CENSUS 1855-D QUARTER EAGLE, NGC AU58+

At one time, I regarded the 1855-D quarter eagle as the single rarest coin made at the Dahlonega mint. I no longer believe this to be true as the 1856-D quarter eagle is rarer, and the 1840-D quarter eagle is more difficult to locate in AU and Uncirculated grades. However, the 1855-D remains a very scarce issue, especially in AU55 or finer.

This is a remarkable coin for the issue with attractive medium yellow-gold color on both sides. To my eyes, this is a fully Uncirculated coin but it has likely been net graded as a result of a noticeable mint-made planchet crack from the second star into the left field. This date is well-known for planchet issues and I have seen at least five or six 1855-D quarter eagles with varying cracks or fissures in the planchet; oddly, these always seem to occur on the obverse (!).

There are four records for AU58 or AU58+ examples of this date since the start of 2000, including this exact coin (see below for more information). In August 2015, Stack’s Bowers sold a PCGS AU58 with enhanced color for $38,188, and the similarly off-color PCGS MS60 sold by Goldberg in their 9/2019 event was cheap at $39,600.

This piece is among the most visually impressive 1855-D quarter eagles that I can recall seeing and I’ve handled virtually every Condition Census piece for this rare issue.

Ex Stack’s Bowers 2019 ANA: 5283 where it brought $48,000. Earlier from the Mo Snow Collection.

From the Indian Rocks Beach Collection

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