INDEX
A Liberty Seated Quarter contains 0.1934 troy oz of silver for the No arrows (1838–1853), 0.1800 troy oz of silver for the Arrows / reduced weight (1853–1873), and 0.1808 troy oz of silver for the Post-1873 standard (1873–1891).
Spot price as of August 26, 2026
About This Series
The Liberty Seated quarter used Christian Gobrecht's design for over 50 years, with several modifications along the way. Arrows were added in 1853 for a weight reduction, the motto appeared in 1866, and arrows returned briefly in 1873-74. Collectors face a long date run across multiple mints, with genuinely tough issues at New Orleans and Carson City. The 1871-CC and 1873-CC No Arrows are the two hardest dates; both have low mintages and few survivors. Building a complete circulated set requires patience and a budget for the Carson City issues, which rarely appear in decent grades.
Specifications
No arrows, 1838–1853
- Composition
- 90% Silver, 10% Copper
- Fineness
- 90.0%
- Weight
- 6.68 g
- Diameter
- 24.3 mm
- ASW
- 0.1934 oz
- Years Produced
- 1838–1891
ASW and melt value by era
| Era | Years | Weight | Fineness | ASW | Melt value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No arrows | 1838–1853 | 6.68 g | 90.0% | 0.1934 oz | $13.17 |
| Arrows / reduced weight | 1853–1873 | 6.22 g | 90.0% | 0.1800 oz | $12.26 |
| Post-1873 standard | 1873–1891 | 6.25 g | 90.0% | 0.1808 oz | $12.31 |
Mintage by year and mint
“Low mintage” marks a year at or below 10% of the median business-strike mintage for its own denomination; “Scarce for the series” marks one above 10% and at or below 25%. The median here is 177,060. That is a statement about how many were struck, not about how many survive or what collectors pay.
Low mintage years in this series: 1866 Philadelphia (16,800), 1869 Philadelphia (16,000), 1870 Carson City (8,340), 1871 Carson City (10,890), 1879 Philadelphia (13,600), 1880 Philadelphia (13,600), 1881 Philadelphia (12,000), 1882 Philadelphia (15,200), 1883 Philadelphia (14,400), 1884 Philadelphia (8,000), 1885 Philadelphia (13,600), 1886 Philadelphia (5,000), 1887 Philadelphia (10,000), 1888 Philadelphia (10,001), 1889 Philadelphia (12,000).
Show all 105 issues, 1838–1891
| Year | Mint | Business strikes | Proof | Relative mintage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1838 | Philadelphia | 466,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1839 | Philadelphia | 491,146 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1840 | New Orleans | Varieties reported separately | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1840 | Philadelphia | 188,127 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1841 | New Orleans | 452,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1841 | Philadelphia | 120,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1842 | New Orleans | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1842 | Philadelphia | 88,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1843 | New Orleans | 968,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1843 | Philadelphia | 645,600 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1844 | New Orleans | 740,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1844 | Philadelphia | 421,200 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1845 | Philadelphia | 922,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1846 | Philadelphia | 510,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1847 | New Orleans | 368,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1847 | Philadelphia | 734,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1848 | Philadelphia | 146,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1849 | New Orleans | 412,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1849 | Philadelphia | 340,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1850 | New Orleans | 412,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1850 | Philadelphia | 190,800 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1851 | New Orleans | 88,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1851 | Philadelphia | 160,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1852 | New Orleans | 96,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1852 | Philadelphia | 177,060 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1853 | New Orleans | 1,332,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1853 | Philadelphia | Varieties reported separately | Varieties reported separately | |
| 1854 | New Orleans | 1,484,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1854 | Philadelphia | 12,380,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1855 | New Orleans | 176,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1855 | Philadelphia | 2,857,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1855 | San Francisco | Not published by NGC | Not published by NGC | |
| 1856 | New Orleans | 968,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1856 | Philadelphia | 7,264,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1856 | San Francisco | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1857 | New Orleans | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1857 | Philadelphia | 9,644,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1857 | San Francisco | 82,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1858 | New Orleans | 520,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1858 | Philadelphia | 7,368,000 | 300 | |
| 1858 | San Francisco | 121,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1859 | New Orleans | 260,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1859 | Philadelphia | 1,343,200 | 800 | |
| 1859 | San Francisco | 80,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1860 | New Orleans | 388,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1860 | Philadelphia | 804,400 | 1,000 | |
| 1860 | San Francisco | 56,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1861 | Philadelphia | 4,853,600 | 1,000 | |
| 1861 | San Francisco | 96,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1862 | Philadelphia | 932,000 | 550 | |
| 1862 | San Francisco | 67,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1863 | Philadelphia | 191,600 | 460 | |
| 1864 | Philadelphia | 93,600 | 470 | |
| 1864 | San Francisco | 20,000 | Not listed by NGC | Scarce for the series |
| 1865 | Philadelphia | Not published by NGC | 500 | |
| 1865 | San Francisco | 41,000 | Not listed by NGC | Scarce for the series |
| 1866 | Philadelphia | 16,800 | Varieties reported separately | Low mintage |
| 1866 | San Francisco | 28,000 | Not listed by NGC | Scarce for the series |
| 1867 | Philadelphia | 20,000 | 625 | Scarce for the series |
| 1867 | San Francisco | 48,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1868 | Philadelphia | 29,400 | 600 | Scarce for the series |
| 1868 | San Francisco | 96,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1869 | Philadelphia | 16,000 | 600 | Low mintage |
| 1869 | San Francisco | 76,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1870 | Carson City | 8,340 | Not listed by NGC | Low mintage |
| 1870 | Philadelphia | 86,400 | 1,000 | |
| 1871 | Carson City | 10,890 | Not listed by NGC | Low mintage |
| 1871 | Philadelphia | 118,200 | 960 | |
| 1871 | San Francisco | 30,900 | Not listed by NGC | Scarce for the series |
| 1872 | Carson City | 22,850 | Not listed by NGC | Scarce for the series |
| 1872 | Philadelphia | 182,000 | 950 | |
| 1872 | San Francisco | 83,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1873 | Carson City | Varieties reported separately | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1873 | Philadelphia | Varieties reported separately | Varieties reported separately | |
| 1873 | San Francisco | 156,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1874 | Philadelphia | 471,200 | 700 | |
| 1874 | San Francisco | 392,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1875 | Carson City | 140,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1875 | Philadelphia | 4,292,800 | 700 | |
| 1875 | San Francisco | 680,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1876 | Carson City | 4,944,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1876 | Philadelphia | Not published by NGC | 1,150 | |
| 1876 | San Francisco | 8,596,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1877 | Carson City | 4,192,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1877 | Philadelphia | 10,911,200 | 510 | |
| 1877 | San Francisco | 8,996,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1878 | Carson City | 996,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1878 | Philadelphia | 2,260,800 | 800 | |
| 1878 | San Francisco | 140,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1879 | Philadelphia | 13,600 | 1,100 | Low mintage |
| 1880 | Philadelphia | 13,600 | 1,355 | Low mintage |
| 1881 | Philadelphia | 12,000 | 975 | Low mintage |
| 1882 | Philadelphia | 15,200 | 1,100 | Low mintage |
| 1883 | Philadelphia | 14,400 | 1,039 | Low mintage |
| 1884 | Philadelphia | 8,000 | 875 | Low mintage |
| 1885 | Philadelphia | 13,600 | 930 | Low mintage |
| 1886 | Philadelphia | 5,000 | 886 | Low mintage |
| 1887 | Philadelphia | 10,000 | 710 | Low mintage |
| 1888 | Philadelphia | 10,001 | 832 | Low mintage |
| 1888 | San Francisco | 1,216,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1889 | Philadelphia | 12,000 | 711 | Low mintage |
| 1890 | Philadelphia | 80,000 | 590 | |
| 1891 | New Orleans | 68,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1891 | Philadelphia | 3,920,000 | 600 | |
| 1891 | San Francisco | 2,216,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| Mintages as published by NGC Coin Explorer, 2026-03 snapshot. Covers 1838–1891. NGC Coin Explorer does not list every date and mint, so this is what it publishes rather than a complete census. | ||||