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1808 Capped Bust to Left Type
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Designed by: John Reich
Issued Date: 1808
Composition: 0.9167 parts gold, 0.0833 part copper
Diameter: 20 mm
Weight: 67.5 grains
Edge: Reeded
Mint marks: Philadelphia (none)
Total Business strike mintage: 2,710
Total Proof strike mintage: None
In 1808 John Reich redesigned the quarter eagle. The diameter remained the same as earlier, but the obverse and reverse motifs were changed. Miss Liberty now faces left, wearing a loose cloth cap secured by a band inscribed LIBERTY. Seven stars are to the left and six are to the right, and the date 1808 appears below. The reverse depicts an eagle perched on an olive branch and holding three arrows. The motto E PLURIBUS UNUM is on a band or ribbon above. The inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and 2 1/2 D is around the border. The denomination is stated for the first time on a quarter eagle. The mintage figure of 2,710 on its own would suggest a rarity, but the demand for the coin as the only year of its design type has projected it into the forefront of popular rarities among American gold coins. It is believed that perhaps three or four dozen exist, nearly all of which are in the grades of Very Fine or Extremely Fine, although at least two Uncirculated coins can be accounted for.
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