1854-1855 Silver Quarter Seated Liberty with Arrows VF

Philadelphia, We Have a Problem

By 1854, the U.S. Mint was facing a serious problem — the silver used to strike its Seated Liberty Quarters was worth more than the coin’s face value! Once people started melting their quarters, it was clear something needed to be done. For just two years — 1854 and 1855 — the U.S. Mint struck Seated Liberty coins with a lower weight of silver, and signified the change by adding a pair of arrows that point outward from the date on the coin. Since these coins circulated so heavily, most have worn down, or were later melted for their 90% silver content. Thankfully, we’ve secured a small number in Extremely Fine (XF) condition. Secure yours today!

COIN HIGHLIGHTS:

• CLASSIC EARLY U.S. MINT DESIGN – The Seated Liberty is one of the classic designs of the 19th century. Originally created by Mint Engraver Christian Gobrecht, the same design of Lady Liberty seated with her right hand on a shield and her left hand grasping a staff topped by a Phrygian cap was used on the half-dime, dime, quarter, half-dollar and dollar coins of the 19th century.
• UNIQUE ARROWS ADDED TO THE DESIGN – These Seated Liberty Silver quarters from 1854 and 1855 were struck with the added design feature of arrows on each side of the date. This was a result of the U.S. mint reducing the overall silver weight of the coin from 6.68 grams to 6.22 grams after 1853. The arrows were removed beginning with the 1856 coins.
• STRUCK IN FINE SILVER – Each Seated Liberty Silver Quarter was struck in 90% silver.
• BEAUTIFUL EXTREMELY FINE CONDITION – Your 1854-1855 Seated Liberty Silver Quarter is in Extremely Fine (XF) condition, a remarkable grade considering its age and how heavily this denomination circulated before, during and after the Civil War. (Date our choice.)
• SCARCE COINS, LIMITED MINTAGES – Nearly 80% of ALL years of Seated Liberty Quarter mintages were less than 1 million coins — a relatively small amount for this type of denomination. The combination of these low mintages with age and heavy use means finding these coins today in pleasing grades such as this can be difficult.