1831 Capped Bust Quarter. B-1. Rarity-3. Small Letters. MS-64+ (PCGS). This richly original example would make an impressive addition to a high grade type set of first year issues. Both sides are warmly and evenly toned in dominant antique golden-copper, the surfaces revealing intermingled highlights of powder blue, pale pink and steel gray as the coin dips into a light. Sharply to fully struck in most areas with expectably smooth surfaces at the threshold of Gem Mint State preservation.<p>To prepare the quarter for close collar production, Chief Engraver William Kneass modified the existing Capped Bust design of John Reich to allow it to fit onto smaller planchets of uniform diameter. Kneass refined the portrait and eagle, removed the scroll upon which the Latin motto E PLURIBUS UNUM had been inscribed, and added a raised border around both sides. This type has since become known to numismatists as the Reduced Diameter, Reduced Size or, more informally, Small Size Capped Bust quarter. It was produced from 1831 through early 1838. The first examples produced in 1831 display small letters in the reverse legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, with all subsequent deliveries displaying large letters. The more frequently encountered die marriages of the 1831 are extremely popular with type collectors, especially those of the one year Small Letters design. Collectors who demand superior technical quality and strong eye appeal will definitely find much to admire in this premium quality near-Gem.
