Commemorative Coins of the United States

1926 Sesquicentennial Quarter Eagle

Another Exposition Coin

The 1926 Sesquicentennial Exposition, held in Philadelphia to commemorate the 150th anniversary of American independence, was the occasion for the issuance of commemorative half dollars and quarter eagles. Legislation signed into law on March 3, 1925, provided for the production of no more than 200,000 gold Sesquicentennial of American Independence $2.50 pieces in addition to a number of silver half dollars. Earlier a $1.50 gold piece was also requested, but the idea was rejected. (Refer to the earlier listing under the 1926 Sesquicentennial half dollar for information concerning the Exposition.)

The Design

John R. Sinnock, chief engraver at the Mint, prepared designs for the commemorative quarter eagle. The Commission of Fine Arts endorsed the general concept but recommended a few minor changes. The obverse motif depicted Miss Liberty standing, wearing a gown, with a large torch in her right hand and with drapery over her left shoulder and right forearm. A close-fitting cloth cap is on her head. In her left hand is a scroll said to represent the Declaration of Independence but not of the correct proportions of this famous document. The reverse shows Independence Hall in Philadelphia, a design quite similar to that used 50 years later on the 1776-1976 bicentennial half dollar. Independence Hall, the cradle of American liberty, is where the Declaration of Independence was signed (and dated July 4, 1776).

The dies for the 1926 Sesquicentennial quarter eagle were executed in unsatisfactory low relief with the result that finished coins were often indistinct in areas. On the reverse there is a feature in the field that appears somewhat like a fingerprint but which represents rays of the sun; this characteristic is not distinct on all pieces.

Minting and Distribution

In May and June 1926, 200,226 Sesquicentennial quarter eagles were struck at the Philadelphia Mint, the odd 226 being for assay purposes. The Sesquicentennial Exposition itself proved to be a financial failure, as did sales of the commemorative half dollars and quarter eagles associated with the event. While the numismatic fraternity undoubtedly accounted for the purchase of several thousand or more 1926 Sesquicentennial quarter eagles, the majority of coins actually sold went to the general public.

Later 154,207 quarter eagles (or more than three quarters of the entire mintage) went to the melting pot, thus drawing the curtain on the last of the early United States commemorative gold coins. No new commemorative gold coins were to be produced until more than a half century later in 1984.

Collecting 1926 Sesquicentennial Quarter Eagles

Nearly all 1926 Sesquicentennial quarter eagles in existence today show evidence of handling and contact from careless production at the Mint and from later indifference by the public who bought them. Most coins range from higher AU grades to lower Mint State classifications, AU-55 to MS-62, and have scattered marks in the fields. MS-65 examples are rare. Well-struck coins in higher Mint State levels are seldom seen, although in other grades the issue remains as the most plentiful survivor of the various gold commemoratives minted during the 1903-1926 span.

GRADING SUMMARY: Look for friction at the center of the standing figure of Liberty. Nearly all specimens are very lustrous and frosty.

1926 Sesquicentennial Of American Independence Quarter Eagle

SUMMARY OF CHARACTERISTICS

Commemorating: 150th anniversary of American independence
Obverse motif: Standing figure of Miss Liberty
Reverse motif: Independence Hall
Authorization date: March 3, 1925
Dates on coins: 1926 (also 1776)
Date when coins were actually minted: 1926
Mint used: Philadelphia
Maximum quantity authorized: 200,000
Total quantity minted (including assay coins): 200,226
Assay coins (included in above): 226
Quantity melted: 154,207
Net number distributed (including assay coins): 46,019
Issued by: National Sesquicentennial Exhibition Association, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Standard original packaging: Apparently, none issued at the Exposition; Christmas card from the Bethlehem National Bank, Bethelehem, Pa., imprinted with the Liberty Bell, dates of 1776-1926, slogan "150 Years of Independence," etc., enclosing a coin
Official sale price: $4
Designer of obverse and reverse: John R. Sinnock
Interesting fact: This was the second and final U.S. 20th-century commemorative gold coin of this denomination.