1916 Proof Quarter Pattern - J-1796

Coin Details

Description

A proof pattern for Hermon Atkins MacNeil's Standing Liberty quarter, one of three new silver coin designs that entered production in 1916. The Standing Liberty design depicts a full-length figure of Liberty standing in a gateway between two pillars, holding a shield in her left hand and an olive branch in her right, with LIBERTY above and IN GOD WE TRUST below. The reverse features an eagle in flight, a dynamic departure from the perched eagles that had appeared on American quarters since 1796. MacNeil, an accomplished sculptor known for his depictions of Native American subjects, created a design that combined classical Greek architectural elements with American patriotic symbolism. The original 1916 design (Type 1) showed Liberty with an exposed right breast, a detail that provoked public controversy and was modified in 1917 (Type 2) to show Liberty wearing a coat of chain mail. J-1796 represents the primary catalog entry for the Standing Liberty quarter pattern and may preserve design details that differ from the adopted production version. The Standing Liberty quarter would serve from 1916 to 1930, when it was replaced by the Washington quarter, but its fifteen-year run produced one of the most artistically admired American coin designs.

Rarity Notes

R-7 (Extremely Rare). Standing Liberty quarter patterns are highly desirable and very scarce.

Cross References

Judd J-1796, Pollock P-1986