Lot 989
1849-O Liberty Seated Quarter Dollar. ICG graded AU-50. Toned on both sides. Some minor marks and a small strike-through at Liberty's cheek. A rare date in almost any condition due to the extremely low reconstructed figure of 16,000 believed struck (the true mintage is unknown). In high grades as here the issue is a great seated Liberty quarter rarity. No quarter dollars were made at the New Orleans Mint the prior year and only a small number of 1850-Os the next. Breen (1988) states that six obverse dies were prepared in the Philadelphia Mint's Engraving Department in 1849, and that these were not destroyed until April 10, 1850. It may have been that only one of the 1849-dated obverses was combined with a reverse already on hand in New Orleans to deliver an unknown, although limited number of 1849-O quarters early in 1850. Numismatists surmise that the original total is buried in the official mintage of 412,000 pieces attributed to the 1850-O. Breen further states the mintage for 1849-O may be from all or part of the New Orleans' initial delivery of 16,000 coins in 1850 -- hence the above figure -- although the exact total can only be surmised (PCGS # 5414) .
Estimated Value $3,400 - 3,500.
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| Realized $4,255 |
