Variety 1.

The 1858-C is among the more available quarter eagles from the Charlotte mint with as many as two dozen known in Uncirculated, mostly in the MS60 to MS62 range. This date is very rare in MS63 with four or five known to me and the present example, which is fresh to the market, may well be the finest known for the date.

This coin has a “freshness” about it which is rarely seen on any gold coin of this era, let alone one from Charlotte. It is crisply detailed and very frosty with nice medium yellow-gold color and choice surfaces. There are a few wispy hairlines in the left obverse field. On the reverse, there are a few vertical striations in the planchet which are clearly mint-made.

There have been three PCGS MS63 1858-C quarter eagles sold at auction since 2006; these have brought $18,400, $21,850 and $24,150.

PCGS has graded two 1858-C quarter eagles in MS63+ with none finer. For the entire series (i.e., Charlotte quarter eagles) PCGS has graded just a dozen coins higher than MS63+ and half of these are dated 1847-C.

Only two PCGS coins have received the + designation.