1821 Capped Bust Quarter. B-6. Rarity-7. VF-20 (PCGS).Graced with an appealing light to medium gray surfaces bursting with originality, with darker toning closer to the edges accenting the lighter areas on the high points. The reverse is lighter gray overall with hints of gold and gunmetal around some of the devices. All around free of abrasions, what would otherwise be very easily considered a desirable and nicely evenly circulated example of the entire issue, the rarity of the variety dramatically amplifies the appeal considerably.Despite its moderately decent mintage of 216,851 pieces, the 1821 quarter is not as often encountered as one would think and no doubt populated by 1820-dated coins. The entire production was accomplished in six deliveries using three obverse dies paired with five reverse dies in a total of six die marriages. First described by Arom Haroutunian, the Browning-6 die pairing is rightly described by Rea, Peterson, Karoleff, and Kovach in their opus, Early Quarters of the United States Mint 1796-1838, as ...one of the most difficult die marriages to obtain in the entire bust quarter series. The reverse die of the B-6 pair is readily determined by the middle claw of the eagles right talon clearly extending past the arrow shaft. In all but one specimen, the inner feathers on the left wing closest to the shield show significant weakness and may be considered a key diagnostic feature. Currently, only six examples of the B-6 variety are known in all grade levels. The finest known is the breathtaking MS-65 specimen we sold in Part I of our sale of the D. Brent Pogue Collection in May 2015, followed in a very distant second place by a solitary PCGS VF-30 coin. For the dedicated early quarter specialist, opportunities to acquire a Browning-6 1821 quarter in any grade are few and far between and not easily overlooked. Worthy of a premium bid.
