1796 Draped Bust Quarter. B-1. Rarity-4+. VG Details--Reverse Scratched (NGC).

A handsome piece with pleasingly original surfaces toned in blended dove-gray and medium gray. Blush of slightly deeper color over the lower left reverse, but more significant is a lengthy vertical scratch that nearly bisects the center on that side of the coin and explains the NGC qualifier. The borders are virtually full, and all major design elements are well outlined. This is one of 6,146 examples of the date struck in the first year of the denomination, and the only year of the Draped Bust, Small Eagle design type; no quarter dollars were forthcoming from the Mint again until 1804, in which year the Heraldic Eagle reverse was used to conform to the other circulating silver coins of the era. Eagerly sought at all levels of preservation, this is a desirable 1796 quarter at the lower reaches of the numismatic grading scale that will appeal not only to series specialists, but also advanced type collectors - after all, a type set of U.S. coinage is not complete without a 1796 Draped Bust, Small Eagle quarter.
Browning-1 is the scarcer of the two known die marriages of this issue. Both varieties share the same reverse, but on B-1 the digit 6 in the date is low and distant from the base of Liberty's bust.

PCGS# 5310. NGC ID: 23RA.

Estimate: $5’000.00