1846 (D) Liberty Head Quarter Eagle - D/D

Coin Details

Auction Record

Description

This is the D/D repunched mint mark on the 1846-D Liberty Head Quarter Eagle. In this era every working die had its mint mark struck in by hand, and when the first blow landed too lightly or slightly off position the punch was simply applied again. The two impressions rarely line up exactly, so the finished die carries one D with a second showing as a ridge, an outline or a set of doubled edges beside it. Because the doubling is in the die rather than the strike, every coin from that die shows it in the same place, which is what separates a repunched mint mark from machine doubling. Examine the mint mark at 10x or more, looking at the extremities of the letter where the offset between the two punchings is widest. Part of the Liberty Head Quarter Eagles 1840-1907 series, the 1846 (D) Liberty Head Quarter Eagle - D/D is a Gold Quarter Eagle from the Dahlonega Mint. The Dahlonega Mint struck 19,303 quarter eagles dated 1846 in all; how many show the D/D is not recorded. The obverse features Liberty facing left wearing a coronet inscribed LIBERTY and the reverse displays a heraldic eagle with shield on breast, olive branch and arrows in talons. Quarter eagles struck during the Mexican-American War era, with production at four mints. Coined at the Dahlonega Mint, a small Georgia facility that produced gold coins from local deposits for just 23 years before the Civil War. Struck in 90% gold, 10% copper, weighing 4.18 grams, 18 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Cataloged as PCGS #97742.