1850-O $2.50 F12 Certification #16439015, PCGS #7758

Charles Morgan

The 1850-O Liberty Head Quarter Eagle had a mintage of 84,000 coins, resuming production at the New Orleans Mint after a two-year suspension. This mintage was achieved using four new obverse dies shipped from the Philadelphia Mint, while reverse dies were reused from prior years.

New Orleans Mint Coin Production in 1850

• 1850-O Liberty Seated Half Dime (#4346) | Mintage: 690,000 | Scarce in Gem condition.
• 1850-O Liberty Seated Dime (#4594) | Mintage: 510,000 | Scarce in Mint State.
• 1850-O Liberty Seated Quarter Dollar (#5416) | Mintage: 412,000 | Scarce in lower Mint State grades.
• 1850-O Liberty Seated Half Dollar (#6265) | Mintage: 2,456,000 | Available in Mint State up to MS65.
• 1850-O Liberty Seated Dollar (#6938) | Mintage: 40,000 | Scarce in Mint State.
• 1850-O Gold Dollar (#7512) | Mintage: 14,000 | Often accessible in AU to low Mint State.
• 1850-O Liberty Head Quarter Eagle (#8605) | Mintage: 84,000 | Rare above MS62.
• 1850-O Liberty Head Eagle (#8605) | Mintage: 7,500 | Rare in Mint State.

The 1850-O Liberty Head Quarter Eagle is considered moderately scarce among issues from the New Orleans Mint, but its scarcity significantly increases in high grades. The coin is particularly challenging to acquire better than Choice Mint State, with only a handful reported at PCGS MS64 and only one recent auction appearances for those examples. As gold coin expert Doug Winter noted in Gold Coins of the New Orleans Mint: 1839-1909, the 1850-O is one of the most difficult O-Mint dates to find with a sharp strike. Despite having well-impressed obverses (often showing full star radials and a clear LIBERTY inscription), these coins are consistently paired with reverses that exhibit softness on the eagle, making a fully sharp piece virtually nonexistent.

1850-O Liberty Head Quarter Eagle Die Varieties (Six Known)

The 1850-O Quarter Eagle is distinguished by six known varieties identified by Doug Winter, differentiated primarily by the placement of the date and mintmark:

• Variety One: The "1" in the date is near the neck but doesn't touch, and the "0" almost touches. The fraction bar is fully to the left of the mintmark.
• Variety Two: Features a high date that slants down to the right; the "1" contacts the neck base while the "0" is distant. The mintmark is high, left-of-center over the fraction, and is thicker on the right side.
• Variety Three: The date is low, arched, and positioned further to the right than other varieties; both the "1" and "0" are distant from the neck. The mintmark is very heavy and placed entirely to the left of the fraction bar.
• Variety Four: The date position is similar to Variety Three, but the underside of the "5" exhibits strong doubling. The mintmark sits directly above the fraction bar. The overall strike is often very soft, particularly on star seven.
• Variety Five: The "18" in the date shows doubling (more pronounced on early strikes). The "1" is distant from the neck, but the "0" is very close. The mintmark is positioned to the left of the fraction bar.
• Variety Six: The coin pairs the obverse die used for Variety Five with the reverse die used for Variety Two.

1850-O Liberty Head Quarter Eagle: Physical Characteristics

(per Doug Winter)

The 1850-O is among the most difficult New Orleans quarter eagles to find with a good strike. Most are very weakly impressed at the centers and have an almost "sunken" appearance. On the obverse, there is considerable weakness on the curls below and behind the ear, and many of the stars are flat at the centers. The reverse typically has noticeable weakness on the eagle’s right leg and claw and on the neck feathers. I have never seen a fully struck example, and only a small number show even an average amount of detail at the centers.

Surfaces and Luster

Surfaces: The surfaces on this issue are often characterized by the presence of heavy abrasions. Many also show scratches, hairlines, or evidence of mishandling. Some have light to medium clash marks at the centers. A few show raised die scratches in the fields, which are mint-made and should not be confused with detracting scratches or hairlines.

Luster: High-grade 1850-O quarter eagles show excellent thick, frosty luster. A few are seen with slightly reflective surfaces, but this "look" tends to be unattractive. While many have been cleaned or dipped, there are more 1850-O quarter eagles with original luster than there are other New Orleans quarter eagles from this era.

Coloration and Eye Appeal

Coloration: The natural coloration is a medium to deep green-gold. It is not easy to locate a piece that has good color, but a few high-grade coins are known that exhibit attractive deep shades.

Eye Appeal: The level of eye appeal for this date is generally below average, primarily due to the weakness of strike described above. There are some very attractive pieces known, but these tend to show strike weakness. Ironically, the few comparably well-struck pieces I have seen tend to be grainy, slightly prooflike coins with poor overall eye appeal.

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