The 1844 is the second most difficult Philadelphia quarter eagle from this decade after the rare 1842. There were only 6,784 produced of which an estimated 75-85 are traced today. When available, the typical 1844 is found in the EF40 to AU50 range and is characterized by very scuffy surfaces and a lack of originality.

This piece is very conservatively graded and, in my opinion, it appears to be at least a “55″ coin. It displays exceptional natural green-gold and reddish color over choice, unabraded surfaces. The strike shows a bit of weakness at the central reverse but this is more than compensated for by the exceptional overall eye appeal.

The only auction record for a CAC approved AU53 quarter eagle is for this coin; see below for the citation.

Philadelphia quarter eagles from this era are very undervalued in comparison to those from Charlotte and Dahlonega and only a handful of dates from those two mints are as scarce as the 1844 in Choice AU.

CAC has approved this one coin in AU53 with four finer.

Ex Stacks Bowers 2/14: 3112 where it sold for $4,113.