1871 Seated Liberty Quarter
Base
About This Coin
The 1871 Seated Liberty Quarter is a United States quarter from the Seated Liberty Quarters 1838-1891 series — 34th of 54 years in the series. In 1871, coins were struck at the Carson City, Philadelphia, and San Francisco Mints with a combined mintage of 160,950. This ranks 20th 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. Minted during Reconstruction and the Gilded Age, as the nation healed from civil war and debated the role of silver and gold in the monetary system. Struck in 90% silver, 10% copper, weighing 6.2 grams, 24.3 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $72 to $362K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $456K in MS65 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.
