1845 $2.50 MS62 Certification #35230323, PCGS #7737

PCGS Set Registry

Three Mints produced Liberty Head Quarter Eagles in 1845: Philadelphia led with 91,051 coins, followed by the Charlotte Mint with a strong mintage of 19,460, and the New Orleans Mint issued a sparse total of 4,000 pieces.

The Philadelphia Mint’s production is technically notable because the facility kept several reverse dies in service past their expected lifespan, resulting in numerous coins exhibiting conspicuous die cracks. For example, one spectacularly shattered die shows four cracks emanating from the rim and meeting precisely at the arrow fletching. Given that multiple die crack configurations exist for the 1845-P issue, their presence is frequently mentioned by auction catalogers.

PCGS Market Insights

Although the mintage for this issue was sizable for the period, it is not a type coin. While the 1845 Liberty Head Quarter Eagle is readily available in Mint State, it becomes rare in grades of MS64 and above.

David Akers, in his landmark work, United States Gold Coins: An Analysis of Auction Records. Volume II: Quarter Eagles, 1796-1929 (published 1975), called the 1845 "one of the most common dates of the 1840s, and certainly the most common Philadelphia Mint quarter eagle of the decade in choice condition."

Akers' assessment remains accurate today. The 1843-O Liberty Head Quarter Eagle (#7731) runs a close second in MS63 or better, despite being a much more common date across all grades. Notably, the known population of 1845-P coins graded MS63 or finer has remained remarkably stable for nearly 20 years.

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