2½ Dollars "Capped Head - Quarter Eagle" obverse2½ Dollars "Capped Head - Quarter Eagle" reverse
United States

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

United States · 1808–1834 · Gold

The coin

The story

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.

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