2½ Dollars "Capped Head - Quarter Eagle" · “Capped Head - Quarter Eagle”

The Capped Head Quarter Eagle: Gold That Was Born to Be Melted

Between 1808 and 1834, the United States struck tens of thousands of small gold quarter eagles. Almost none survive. The coins were worth more as metal than as money the day they left the press — so they were melted and shipped abroad almost as fast as the Mint could make them.