1843-O $2.50 Large Date MS(PCGS#7732)

1843-O $2.50 Large Date MS (PCGS#7732)

Summer 2026 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Lot Description: An exceptional condition rarity specimen, as are all Mint State survivors of the 1843-O Large Date quarter eagle. Even frosty medium orange-olive gold, lightly reflective in the fields and showing billowy mint luster on the motifs. The surface quality is remarkable for the issue, showing no sizeable marks or unattractive planchet flaws, just some modest and insignificant hairlines under a glass. Unworn, generally sharp in strike, with just minor softness within the hair curls over Liberty's brow and the feathers of the eagle's right leg.<p>As the mintages might suggest (76,000 vs. 288,002 coins), the 1843-O Large Date is far scarcer than its Small Date counterpart. In fact, Douglas Winter (<em>Gold Coins of the New Orleans Mint: 1839-1909</em>, 2025 edition) ranks the 1843-O Large Date as the second rarest New Orleans Mint quarter eagle in terms of total number of coins extant. The author provides an estimate of just 100 to 125 survivors, and since just 10 to 15 of those are Mint State, the significance of the present offering can hardly be overstated.