1796 Draped Bust Quarter. B-1. Rarity-4+. Good-6 (PCGS).Significant as a second example of the 1796 quarter, a one-year design type, and also important as a second offering for the scarcer Browning-1 die pairing. Blended pearl and steel-gray patina blankets surfaces that reveal more vivid undertones of cobalt blue and reddish-apricot under a light. An area of softness and adjacent scrape at the lower left reverse are noted, but otherwise all areas are well defined for the assigned grade, and the surfaces are pleasingly smooth. One of just 6,146 examples of the date struck in the first year of the denomination, and the only year of the Draped Bust, Small Eagle design type; no quarter dollars were forthcoming from the Mint again until 1804, in which year the Large Eagle reverse was used to conform to the other circulating silver coins of the era. Examples are eagerly sought at all levels of preservation, and this PCGS Good-6 is sure to find many willing buyers.PCGS# 5310. NGC ID: 23RA.
