Lot 2376
1860-C $2.50 Liberty. NGC graded AU-58. Average planchet for the date. Only 7,469 minted. Pop 23; 10 finer. Well struck centers, though not sharp on the eagle by any means, since Charlotte-minted coinage tends to be weak in this area (PCGS # 7792) .
As the 1860s opened there were fiercer and more heated words being exchanged in the halls of Congress and the barrooms across America, North and South. People became concerned that hostilities would soon break out. One response to this fear was that they began hoarding precious metals, both coins and bullion. Before long, hoarding began to tell on mintage totals, especially at the southern branch mints of Charlotte, Dahlonega, and, to a lesser extent, New Orleans. Only a very limited quantity of Quarter Eagles were minted at Charlotte in 1860 from fast-declining deposits of bullion, for instance. When war was finally declared in 1861, the mints found their bullion cupboards bare and were forced to close up shop for the duration. Little did they realize that Charlotte and Dahlonega Mints would never reopen, and that New Orleans would sit idly by until 1879.
Estimated Value $7,500 - 8,000.
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| Realized $8,050 |
