This week we feature another wonderful Standing Liberty quarter that will cross the auction block in our August Showcase auction. This 1926-D quarter is a significant condition rarity due to its overall excellent quality relative to what is typically found for this issue. We see no detracting blemishes; the bit of light granularity on the reverse is an as-made feature indicative of a worn die. Lightly toned about the rims, and essentially brilliant in the centers, this coin was among the highlights of the Standing Liberty quarters in the Pogue Collection and will serve as such in the next cabinet in which it is included.
The mintmarked issues from 1926 are among the rarest Standing Liberty quarters with Full Head striking detail. Both have fewer than 1% of their mintages sharply struck (per J. H. Cline, 2007), and both are typically offered with very poor definition that usually includes a completely flat head on Liberty’s portrait. Very few Denver Mint examples can match the present Gem, as the overall striking detail is astonishing for a branch mint SLQ struck from worn dies. Just four examples of this condition and striking rarity have been graded finer by PCGS, with three graded MS-66+ and just at MS-67. As for Type 2b Standing Liberty quarters as a whole, only the highly elusive 1927-S has a smaller FH population at PCGS outside of these 1926-dated issues. As this is a gorgeous, original coin with a remarkable pedigee, we expect it to attract an abundance of attention and strong bids later this summer. For more information about the Stack’s Bowers Galleries August 2022 auction visit StacksBowers.com To consign your coins or paper money to one of our Showcase auctions or to our Collectors Choice Online auctions call 800-458-4646 or email Consign@StacksBowers.com.
