With a mintage of just 800 business strikes, the 1885 is a date whose rarity transcends the specialist community. As with the low mintage 1881, the 1885 quarter eagle is popular because it is one of the few Liberty Head quarter eagles with a mintage under 1,000 coins and it is the most affordable of these. It is likely that not more than 100 1885 quarter eagles are known and most are seen in the AU55 to MS62 range.

This coin is prooflike and it actually closely resembles a Proof except for date position. There is some minor scuffing in the fields, probably the result of careless handling when the coin was transported and not actual wear. The color is a pleasing natural green-gold and the eye appeal is very high for the date and grade.

The last PCGS AU55 to sell at auction was Stacks 10/07: 4230 which realized $4,370. Since April 1999, only three examples in this grade have sold at auction.

There are very few 19th century gold coins with a mintage of fewer than 1,000 business strikes that the collector of average means can aspire to purchase and, at the present time, the 1885 quarter eagle is one of these.

CAC has approved two in this grade with three finer.