1852-D $2.50 (Regular Strike)

David Akers (1975/88): The 1852-D is the first in a string of seven very rare and low mintage Dahlonega Mint quarter eagles. This date is very rare in all grades and at most four or five strictly uncirculated pieces are known. The finest I have seen was a choice Unc. that was owned by Stanley Kesselman a few years ago. On this and most later D Mint issues, the denticles are always weak, if not missing. Most specimens, however, are sharply struck on the head of the Liberty and on the eagle.

Doug Winter: Starting with this issue, the mintage figures for Dahlonega quarter eagles become substantially lower than for those struck from 1839 through 1851. The 1852-D is among the hardest Dahlonega quarter eagles to locate and is exceeded in rarity among the issues from the 1850’s only by the famous 1854-1856 issues.

The 1852-D quarter eagle is a scarce date in all grades. It is most often seen in low end Extremely Fine. It is very rare in About Uncirculated, although there are a few more very nice About Uncirculated coins in existence than is generally believed. In Mint State, this is an extremely rare coin with only five or six currently known to exist.

STRIKE: The 1852-D quarter eagle has a strike which is fairly similar to that seen on the 1850-D. On the 1852-D, the central obverse is very sharp. A few may show weakness on the curls near the eye and ear but many have virtually complete definition on the hair. The stars are mostly sharp with all but the fifth through the ninth showing full radial lines. The denticles are weak with the greatest amount of weakness visible at 11:00 to 2:00 and from 5:00 to 8:00. The reverse shows a similar pattern of strike. The center is much sharper than the border. The feathers on the neck and wings are bold while some weakness is almost always seen on the eagle’s right leg and both of the claws. The denticles on the reverse are very weak and they have a rusted appearance.

SURFACES: Most examples have very heavily abraded surfaces. There are usually conspicuous marks located in the fields. It is not uncommon for 1852-D quarter eagles to also show mint-made planchet problems. I have seen a number with black grease stains or copper-colored discoloration. On all known examples, there is a die scratch which runs from the denticles through the lower points of the third star out into the field between the second and third stars.

LUSTER: High grade, uncleaned 1852-D quarter eagles often have excellent luster. It is bright and vibrant with a very frosty texture.

COLORATION: Original, uncleaned pieces are seen with coloration ranging from light rose-gold to deep orange-gold. Most have been cleaned or dipped at one time.

EYE APPEAL: This date generally has better eye appeal than one might imagine. It is possible to locate an example with a good strike and very good luster. It is hard to find one which does not have considerable marks and which has original color.

DIE VARIETIES: Only one die variety is known.

Variety 15-M: On the obverse, the 1 in the date is close to the bust while the 2 in the date is equally spaced between the bust and the denticles. The reverse is the same as described for 1847-D Variety 9-M.