1806 Draped Bust Quarter. B-3. Rarity-1. MS-64 (PCGS).This is an incredibly important piece that matches superior eye appeal and excellent technical quality. Flashy and brilliant silver luster dominates the complexion on each side, accented by swaths of bronze and violet patina in the protected areas. The usual softness is noted at the centers, though the border elements remain incredibly sharp. Traces of mint-made die clashing are obvious around most elements, but the surfaces are free of any distracting traces of handling. Just 5 coins have been certified finer by PCGS. Now a mainstay denomination familiar to all, this was not the case for the quarter dollar in the beginning. Produced in limited numbers and erratically during the earliest years of U.S. Mint operations, the quarter was not a popular denomination with contemporary silver bullion depositors. Such coins were produced at the request of depositors during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and those dealing in silver bullion much preferred half dollars and silver dollars over quarters. Even so, calendar year 1806 saw the Mint deliver an unusually large number of quarters for the era -- 206,124 pieces -- those actually bearing the date 1806 eventually requiring 10 die marriages to produce. Browning-3, offered here, vies with B-9 as the most common variety of the issue in terms of total number of coins extant. As a date, of course, the 1806 quarter is very rare in the finest Mint State grades, as indeed is the Draped Bust type as a whole. With a single MS-65 specimen ranked as the finest known example of the B-3 dies by Tompkins (2008) and Rea-Koenings-Haroutunian (2010), this beautiful MS-64 is certainly within the Condition Census. A significant bidding opportunity for advanced early quarter enthusiasts and Registry Set participants.PCGS# 5314. NGC ID: 23RD.
