1796 25C Browning 2 (Regular Strike)
Series: Draped Bust Quarters 1796-1807
PCGS MS67
PCGS MS66
PCGS MS62
- PCGS #:
- 38920
- Designer:
- Robert Scot
- Edge:
- Reeded
- Diameter:
- 27.50 millimeters
- Weight:
- 6.74 grams
- Mintage:
- 6,146
- Mint:
- Philadelphia
- Metal:
- 89.2% Silver, 10.8% Copper
- Auction Record:
- $1,527,500 • MS67+* • 11-15-2013 • Heritage Auctions
Condition Census What Is This?
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#1 PCGS MS67
“Colonel” E.H.R. Green; Green Estate; Partnership of Eric P. Newman / B.G. Johnson d.b.a. St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co. As “Brilliant Proof”. Eric P. Newman – $100.00; Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society. As NGC MS67+* #2037631-001. “Selections from the Eric P. Newman Collection, Part II,” Heritage Auctions, November 15, 2013, Lot 33327 – $1,527,700. As PCGS MS67 #57233700. B-2. Fully struck and target-toned, featuring an attractive blend of blue, green, violet, and magenta at the borders surrounding champagne-grey centers. A faint die crack is noted at the top of Star 3. On the reverse, a small mark is visible between the ribbon and the letter U. |
#1 PCGS MS67
Larry Stack; Eric Streiner; Jay Parino; John Albanese; East Coast collector. B-2. Gold and redish-gold center toning. Ice blue and violet toning along the periphery. |
#3 PCGS MS66
Waldo Newcomer; "Colonel" E.H.R. Green; J.G. MacAllister; T. James Clarke; "The T. James Clarke Collection," (New Netherlands, April 1956), Lot 1557; (possibly) Gene Reale; Jay Parrino (The Mint); Gary Minsey. The coin was raw when Richard Burdick offered Minsey $100,000 for the coin, but he turned the offer down; Minsey to Rarcoa; Rarcoa to Richard Burdick for $130,000 in trade; Claude E. Davis, M.D, October 1995. As NGC MS66 #957212-062. "The Foxfire Collection (Davis)." As PCGS MS66 #44161266. "The Bob R. Simpson Collection, Part VII," Heritage Auctions, January 13, 2022, Lot 3755 - $1,740,000. B-2. Violet, gold, and blue toning throughout. Eagle's head mostly complete. Sharply struck example. |
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#3 PCGS MS66
James Ten Eyck; “The James Ten Eyck Collection,” B. Max Mehl, May 1922, Lot 507; Milton A. Holmes; “The Milton A. Holmes Collection,” Stack’s, October 1960, Lot 2918. As “Perfect Brilliant Proof.” Stack’s, May 31, 1975, Lot 824 – $27,000; L.A. Collection of U.S. Type Coins; Stack’s, October 1990, Lot 1634. D. Brent Pogue. As PCGS MS66 #09006459. “The D. Brent Pogue Collection, Part I,” Stack’s Bowers / Sotheby’s, May 2015, Lot 1051 – $1,527,500. B-2. Once described as a Proof, this specimen exhibits deeply mirrored fields and a razor-sharp strike. The surfaces display sea-green and blue centers with vibrant rose and gold toning along the periphery. Most notably, the obverse toning presents a distinctive, nearly vertical diagonal overlay that adds significant character to the eye appeal. |
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#5 PCGS MS65
"The Terrell Collection," Bowers and Ruddy, May 1973, Lot 46 - $17,000; "The Austin Collection," Bowers and Ruddy, May 1974, Lot 546 - $18,500;. As "Brilliant Uncirculated." "The Reed Hawn Collection of United States Quarters," Stack's, March 1977, lot 259 - $16,500. As "Choice Brilliant Uncirculated." Stack's, October 1994, Lot 342 - $57,500. As PCGS MS65 #21072242. "The Oliver Jung Collection," American Numismatic Rarities, July 2004, Lot 46 - $230,000; "Property of a Texas Gentleman," Stack's Bowers, November 11, 2025, Lot 3039 - $480,000. B-2. Early die state, but eagle's head lacks definition. Faint die crack above star 3. Small void on the drapery at Liberty's right breast. Apparent fingerprint toning on the reverse. Sold in James A. Stack Collection sale, but obviously not a Stack coin. |
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#5 PCGS MS65
“The Norweb Collection,” Bowers and Merena, March 1988, Lot 1512. As PCGS MS65 #13154977. Heritage Auctions, August 2010, Lot 3107 – $322,000; “The Pannonia Collection, Part I,” Heritage Auctions, September 4, 2014, Lot 3116 – $411,250. B-2. Russet, sea-green toning highlights a layer of deep gold toning. Prooflike fields. Light adjustment marks on the reverse. |
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#5 PCGS MS65
"The Driftwood Collection" (PCGS Set Registry). |
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#8 PCGS MS64
Heritage Auctions, April 30, 2009, Lot 2309 - $92,500 Reserve Not Met; Bowers and Merena, August 2009, Lot 1018 - $103,500; "The Pannonia Collection, Part Two," Heritage Auctions, October 8, 2014, Lot 4713 - $164,500. B-2. Golden-grey centers with scattered toning in blue and green. |
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#8 PCGS MS64
Stack's, March 2007, Lot 622 – $166,750; Heritage Auctions, January 4, 2012, Lot 3167 – $253,000. B-2. Weakly struck eagle chest and head. Lightly toned in sea-green and gold. |
#8 PCGS MS64
Late die state with upper right portion of the die shattered in multiple places. Adjustment marks over Liberty's chest and drapery. Champagne toning with much of the original luster remaining. |
#8 PCGS MS64
As NGC MS64 #3898404-001. "The Hawkeye Collection," Heritage Auctions, October 2, 2025, Lot 3040 - $408,000. As PCGS MS64 #58455892. B-2. Mustard centers with vivid blue and reddish-orange toning along the periphery. "Untoned" area around Star 13 provides a key pedigree marker. |
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#8 Est. MS64
As NGC MS65 #273521-001. "The Essex Palm Collection," Heritage Auctions, January 3, 2007, Lot 903 - $172,500; "The Joseph C. Thomas Collection, Part Two," Heritage Auctions, January 2011, Lot 5505 - $207,000; Heritage Auctions, January 21, 2021, Lot 4012 - $210,000. B-2. Middle die state. Plum toning blankets the obverse. Blue toning covers the reverse. Die cracks emerging at the top of LIBERTY. Light adjustment marks at the lower half of the obverse. |
The 1796 Draped Bust Quarter, B-2, High 6 Variety
Rarity-3. The 1796 Draped Bust Quarter, B-2 ("High 6," #38920), is one of two die marriages for the year and, by emission sequence, the first deployed. In its intermediate state, the obverse die shows evidence of die lapping. Later, a series of cracks emerged, causing the Mint to retire the obverse in favor of the B-1 ("Low 6," #38919) die. Unlike the B-1—which might be more aptly described as the "Crooked 9" or the "Blundered Tooth"—the "High 6" is a fitting moniker, as the top of the digit nearly touches the bust truncation.
Star placement and hair details serve as essential diagnostics. On the B-2, additional hair detail is often present above the lower curl and to the right of Star 1. When lapped, much of this detail is effaced, though raised elements remain. By contrast, Star 1 on the B-1 slightly overlaps the low curl, with its entire right side sitting in an open field. Furthermore, while the denticles (teeth) on the B-2 are largely uniform, the B-1 features a partial tooth between Stars 1 and 2 that appears as a distinct rounded mound.
On the B-2 obverse, Star 13 is positioned far from Liberty's portrait. The alignment of "LIBERTY" also differs: on the B-1, the point of the leftmost top curl aligns with the center of the B, while the ridge of the second curl is centered on the stem of the E. On the B-2, the letters shift leftward: the leftmost curl points to the right side of the B, and the second curl is positioned beneath the lower arm of the E. Similar to the B-1, the B-2 is also known for a characteristically weak strike on the eagle's head.
In its late die state, the aforementioned cracks become quite dramatic. This state was reportedly first discovered at the Glendining sale of March 21, 1935, a notable auction featuring early American rarities held for generations in an old English collection. Curiously, the cataloger offered no description of the shattered die:
"1796, obv. Liberty with flowing hair bound by a ribbon, draped bust. Very rare, and very fine"
Collecting the 1796 Draped Bust Quarter, B-2
More 1796 Draped Bust Quarters were saved than one might expect for an 18th-century issue with a mintage of just 6,146 pieces. Reviewing the PCGS Population Report and internal data (including "No Grades"), it appears that at least 10–12% of the mintage has survived, with perhaps 50–60 extant in Mint State. A few examples in our records were graded in the late 1990s and have not appeared at auction since; while these are excluded from our Condition Census tables, their numbers are few and do not skew the data significantly. Notably, most high-grade survivors are B-2s, including the two finest-known PCGS MS67 examples.
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LOT 1051 1796 Draped Bust Quarter