1881 Liberty Head Quarter Eagle
Base
About This Coin
The 1881 Liberty Head Quarter Eagle is a United States Gold Quarter Eagle from the Liberty Head Quarter Eagles 1840-1907 series — 42nd of 68 years in the series. In 1881, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 691. This represents the lowest annual mintage in the entire series, below the series median of 36,397. 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, with a banner reading E PLURIBUS UNUM. A relatively scarce year with all production at Philadelphia. Struck in 90% gold, 10% copper, weighing 4.18 grams, 18 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $3.7K to $25K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $53K in PR66 grade at Superior Galleries. Designed by 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.
