I have found but a single variety of the 1815 quarter-dollar. — J. Colvin Randall, 1881This 1815 quarter is a landmark, a superb gem example of the first year of this design type. Both obverse and reverse glow with satiny luster, cartwheeling over silver gray surfaces blushed with peach and tinted with violet, gold, and pastel blue. Every design element is fully struck, each obverse star shows its complete center, and nearly every border denticle is bold and rounded, showing softness only to the left of 12:00 on the obverse, right of 12:00 on the reverse. The eye appeal, encompassing the superlative luster, elegant color, and complete detail, is perhaps unsurpassable. Scrutiny reveals a few microscopic chatter marks low on Libertys jaw and a single contact point beneath the first U of UNUM on the reverse banner. The dies are clashed, visible in both obverse and reverse fields as well as at the central obverse. So-called ear bars, the clashed impression of the gules of the reverse shield, in combination with a single heavy clash, designate this as a specimen of Die State d, the latest recorded die state.Just one die variety is known for this date, the only issue of quarter dollars struck between 1807 and 1818. As the first year of the design type, many collectors seek out this date in particular. Jimmy Hayes was one such collector, whose spectacular type set included only first-year coins like this one. In the 1985 sale of the Hayes type collection, this coin was described as a pristine example ... the coin really defies description. Today, just two other examples of the date have been graded at the superb gem MS-66 level by PCGS.
