The Early Quarter Dollars of the United States

Quarter Dollars of 1818

Total number of pieces coined 361,174. [Eleven] varieties are known.

Obverse: 1818 over 1815; top of 5 showing within upper part of 8, upright part of 5 showing outside of 8 at left, where upper and lower curved meet. Date very wide, equally spaced, 8 not quite centered under curl; stars not close to border; lower left star points to between first and second fold in drapery and appears a trifle nearer drapery than border, or almost opposite that of 1815.

Reverse: Letters in STATES spaced wider apart than in regular die of 1815, particularly T, E and S. The value, 25 C., has the same style 5 as in regular die of 1815, which is not found in any other reverse of 1818; 2 has curved base in all reverse dies of the year. Right end of scroll under foot of M at extreme left. On scroll: I under T at right; S under S at right.

Dies perfect in early impressions; reverse cracked in later pieces in two places; from top edge through second T in STATES, under scroll at left of I, across eagle's beak to left corner of shield; from lower edge through period after C, up to eagle's middle claw at right.

A rare variety. Perfect reverse is rarer than when cracked.

Emission sequence: B-1, 2, 3, New, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 8, 10.

Plain traces of 5 within 8.

Large 5 (flat knob, long pointed top, as in 1815); broad dentils.

Browning-1; Clapp-5; Duphorne-21; Breen-3893; Haseltine-4.

Rarity-3, possibly even lower.

Die States:
I. Perfect. Rare.
II. Clash marks above date from scroll, and in field from wings; reverse field from head and bust. Scarcer than later states.
III. Crack, rim through second T of STATES to scroll, beak, and dexter chief (left point of shield); clash marks less prominent, eventually fading.
IV. Another crack from rim through period.

V. The crack of state IV extends to middle claw at right.

An off-center specimen in State III, with plain edge, from F.C.C. Boyd, was WGC:38, J.A. Stack:11. This is about 5% off center in K-10 ½.

Also known with double profile. Cf. the Newcomer, Schultz, Bergen:26 example, countermarked RF in rectangle like the 1806 B-9, above.

1. Boyd, WGC:33. State I.
2. NN 57:598. State I.
3. Merkin 10/69:81. State I.
4. U.S. Coin Co., 1913, $10, Browning. State I. Browning plain coin.
5. Robinson:271. State I.
6. Boyd, WGC:35.
7. Wolfson:778. State II.
8. Willing:998. State II.
9. Miles:884. State II.
10. Speir Estate sale:8 (illustrated above Lot 9). State II.
11. Boyd, WGC:37, J.A. Stack:12, Reed Hawn:266 (illustrated over Lot 265). State III.
12. Blauvelt:1120 (Bowers & Ruddy 2/77). State III.
13. Paul Williams:375 (Bowers & Ruddy 9/79). State III.
14. Boyd, WGC:38, James A. Stack:11. State III. About 5% off center in K-10 ½, plain edge.
15. Boyd, WGC:36. State V.
16. T. James Clarke, NN 47:1564. State V.
17. Krugjohann:1044. State V.
18. 1976 ANA:947. State V (?)

Other Uncirculateds, apparently representing a hoard; the public must have saved many as first of their kind, missing the 1815s.

Numerical Condition Census (RWM, Sr. [circa 1992]): 65, 65, 65, 65, 65, 64 (8).