1854-O Liberty Seated Quarter. Arrows. Briggs 1-A, FS-501. Huge O. AU-55 (NGC).A truly exceptional example of this elusive and conditionally challenging variety. Both sides are splashed with mottled charcoal-russet patina that is more extensive on the reverse. Apart from a few of the obverse stars, the devices are boldly to sharply defined, and uncommonly so in an 1854-O Huge O quarter. A few tiny marks over and around Libertys portrait notwithstanding, the surfaces are pleasingly smooth in hand. All in all, a superior quality example that would serve as a highlight in the finest collection of Liberty Seated or New Orleans Mint coinage.Although not as plentiful as the 1854 or 1855, the 1854-O is one of the more readily obtainable issues from the Arrows, No Motto portion of the Liberty Seated quarter series. This statement really only applies to well worn examples, however, since the 1854-O is scarce in the finer circulated grades and rare in Mint State. Also rare in an absolute sense is the specific Briggs 1-A variety of this issue, the popular and intriguing Huge O variety. Readily attributable to the unaided eye, this variety features a large, misshapen O mintmark that most numismatic scholars agree was hand cut into the die by an employee at the New Orleans Mint. During the 1850s all working dies were prepared at the Philadelphia Mint, those intended for the branch mints receiving the appropriate mintmark before being shipped to their final destination. It is highly likely that a "plain" reverse die for the Liberty Seated quarter was unintentionally forwarded to the New Orleans Mint, forcing personnel onsite to add the mintmark before using it to strike a portion of the 1854-O mintage. A loupe reveals considerable evidence of polishing in the mintmark area, resulting in loss of detail to the eagles right talon, the lowermost arrow feather, the end of the branch stem, and the tops of the letters AR D in the denomination QUAR DOL. This polishing was almost certainly done as part process for entering the mintmark. Additionally, myriad die cracks are present along the lower left border, evidence that the die deteriorated quickly during striking after the mintmark was so crudely entered. This early die deterioration, in turn, probably helps to explain the rarity of the 1854-O Huge O, for it is likely that few coins were struck before this reverse die was withdrawn from production.Most 1854-O Huge O quarters known to numismatists are heavily worn from years of circulation, and more than a few are also notably impaired. Although Larry Briggs (1991) mentions a unique Mint State survivor, the finest examples known to PCGS and NGC are Choice AUs in AU-55 and AU-58. This is one of those coins, a solid Condition Census example of this intriguing variety.
