1807 Draped Bust Quarter. B-1. MS-64 * (NGC). CAC.Tompkins Die Stage 4/2, Rea et al. Die State b. A truly remarkable example of one of the more underrated condition rarities among U.S. Mint quarter design types. The toning is outstanding, especially on the obverse, where the viewer is treated to a target-like array of dazzling steel-lilac, rose-gold, powder blue and silver-apricot iridescence. The reverse is equally original in preservation, but with thin halos of cobalt blue and pinkish-apricot iridescence around a brilliant center. Highly lustrous with a soft satin texture, bold to sharp strike detail is also a strong suit for this carefully preserved, visually stunning near-Gem.<p>Now a mainstay denomination familiar to all, this was not the case for the quarter dollar in the beginning. The denomination was first struck four years after it was authorized by the Mint Act of 1792 and, due to lack of demand from bullion depositors, was not struck again until 1804. Robert Scots Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle design was utilized beginning in that year and the mintage barely exceeded that of 1796. Starting in 1805, however, production consistently exceeded 100,000 pieces per year. In 1807 a mintage of 220,643 quarters was achieved, the highest yearly output for the denomination up to that point in time.<p>However, the quarter dollar remained unpopular with contemporary bullion depositors. The 1807 is not only the final issue of the Draped Bust design type, but also the final year of quarter dollar production until the denomination returned in 1815. Over this interval, half dollars became the largest coin of the realm as silver dollar coinage had been suspended three years earlier. Despite Jeffersons insistence that the Mint make small silver coins for common people, at this point the decision of what kind of coins were to be struck was up to the persons depositing the bullion, not the Mint. Given that most depositors were banks or corporate entities, coins of larger value were preferred. Although the mintage for quarters surpassed 200,000 coins per year in both 1806 and 1807, there would not be two consecutive years with mintages surpassing even 150,000 quarters again until the 1830s.<p>Numismatists have identified two die varieties of the 1807-dated quarter issue. In lower grades, neither variety is a rarity. In the finer Mint State grades, as here, each is an object of great desire. This date is often chosen by type collectors, but even those who pursue exclusively Mint State coins often must settle for lower grades, or coins certified at high grades but exhibiting poor aesthetic appeal. The present example has it all - superior striking quality, condition rarity, outstanding eye appeal, numismatic provenance - and it is sure to please.PCGS# 38939. BASE PCGS# 5316. NGC ID: 23RF.NGC Census (both die marriages): 11, just two of which have been awarded a * designation for superior eye appeal; 8 finer (MS-67 finest).<p>CAC Stickered Population: 3; 3.Ex "Colonel" E.H.R. Green; Green estate; partnership of Eric P. Newman and Burdette G. Johnson, doing business as St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co.; Eric P. Newman, acquired for $30.00; Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society; Heritages Eric P. Newman Collection, Part II, November 2013, lot 33333; Heritages FUN Signature Auction of January 2020, lot 4155; Heritages August 2020 Signature Auction, lot 3919. The plate coin for the die variety in the 2010 Rea et al. reference on early United States quarters, p. 74.
