1796 Draped Bust Quarter. B-2. Rarity-3. VF-35 (PCGS). Here is a handsome and highly desirable mid grade quality example of this key date quarter dollar. Generally pearl gray surfaces reveal blushes of warmer olive patina here and there around the peripheries, especially along the left reverse border. The same area also exhibits iridescent undertones of powder blue and reddish-gold. The strike is ideally centered with uniformly denticulated borders. The major design elements retain ample boldness of definition for a moderately circulated survivor of this challenging type. A superior coin at the Choice VF level that is sure to appeal to type collectors and early quarter specialists.<p>The 1796 quarter has long been an object of desire for all who form type sets of American coinage. Struck only in this single year, the Draped Bust obverse in combination with the Small Eagle reverse is very rare relative to the demand for it, as no type set can be complete without an example. Survivors are scarce as the mintage was just 6,146 pieces. The Mint required two obverse dies and one reverse to achieve this mintage, with Browning-2, as offered here, the more frequently encountered by a small margin. This is the High 6 variety of the issue, so named because the digit 6 in the date is closer to the bust than on the B-1 Low 6 variety.<p> From the James D. Brilliant Collection.
