Designed by: Robert Scot
Issue Date: 1796
Composition: 91.67% gold, 8.33% copper
Diameter: 20 mm
Weight: 4.37 grams (67.43 grains)
Edge: Reeded
Business Strike Mintage: 963 (estimated)
Proof Mintage: None
The first design in the quarter eagle series is distinguished from the later motif by having no stars on the obverse. Designated as the Capped Bust to Right style, the first quarter eagle of 1796, believed to have been minted to the extent of 963 pieces, features the head and shoulder portrait of Miss Liberty facing right, wearing a cloth cap, with LIBERTY above and the date below. There are no stars in the field. The reverse is of the Heraldic Eagle design similar to that used on gold and silver denominations of the 1800 era. Adapted from the Great Seal of the United States, the center motif depicts an eagle with a shield on its breast, holding an olive branch and arrows in its talons, and in its beak a ribbon inscribed E PLURIBUS UNUM. A galaxy of stars is above, with a group of clouds in an arc extending from one wing to the other. The inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA surrounds. There is no mark indicating the denomination.
Of the 963 pieces believed to have been minted, it has been estimated by David Akers, a student of the subject, that perhaps as many as 30 to 40 survive today, although other estimates have been in the range of 15 to 20 pieces. Most of these are in grades from Very Fine to Extremely Fine, although a few higher condition examples exist.
