1851 Seated Liberty Quarter
Base
About This Coin
The 1851 Seated Liberty Quarter is a United States quarter from the Seated Liberty Quarters 1838-1891 series — 14th of 54 years in the series. In 1851, coins were struck at the Philadelphia and New Orleans Mints with a combined mintage of 248,000. This ranks 22nd of 54 years by total mintage, below the series median of 500,580. The obverse features Liberty seated on a rock, holding a pole surmounted by a Phrygian liberty cap in her left hand and a shield inscribed LIBERTY in her right and the reverse displays a heraldic eagle with shield on breast, olive branch and arrows in talons, with a banner reading E PLURIBUS UNUM. Struck during the California Gold Rush era, when vast quantities of western gold transformed the American economy and led to new denominations. Struck in 90% silver, 10% copper, weighing 6.74 grams, 24.3 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $135 to $39K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $31K in MS63 grade at Heritage Auctions. Designed by Robert Ball Hughes/Christian Gobrecht.
Value Estimates
Values as of May 2026 — range across all strike types, reflecting typical grades (G-4 through MS-63). Coins in lower or exceptional grades may fall outside this range.
