Stack’s Bowers Galleries’ Coin Resource Center includes entries on hundreds of key dates for major U.S. coin series. Among Liberty Head gold $2.50 quarter eagles, the 1881 stands out as a notable rarity. With its 640-coin mintage (one of the smallest in the series and far smaller surviving population), it is highly sought-after by collectors, so the CRC naturally has an entry on it.
The issue’s small mintage, coupled with a lack of contemporary numismatic interest, rendered the date rare. Experts estimate around 100 survive with most coins in EF and AU grades.
The CRC entry on the 1881 quarter eagle includes a brief discussion of the date’s rarity and collectability, accompanied by high-quality images (in this case images of the example we sold in the November 2017 Baltimore auction) and links to recent auction results for the issue. Links to report appropriate edits (the CRC is an evolving database with entries on other coins and updates to be added in time to come) and to reach out staff in the event that readers have an example appear at the bottom of the page.
