The US $2.50 ('quarter eagle') gold coin was issued in 1796, and was the first coin to feature an eagle with a shield on its chest. The other side featured the bust of Liberty wearing a conical cap (sometimes referred to as a turban). Like half eagles, quarter eagles were often melted down as their value in gold exceeded their face value.
Starting in 1834, quarter eagles were produced with less gold content, and the design changed. The motto over the eagle’s head and Liberty’s cap were both removed. This design, known as the "Classic Head," was in use until 1839, when the motto was replaced. In 1848, quarter eagle coins that used gold shipped by the military governor of California were marked with "CAL."
In 1908, President Roosevelt asked sculptor Bela Lyon Pratt to create a new design for the quarter eagle. His design featured the bust of an Indian chief on one side and an eagle with closed wings on the other. This design was in use until quarter eagles ceased production in 1929.
Interviews & Articles
U.S. Gold Coins: Holding the California Gold Rush in the Palm of Your Hand

The double eagle is really a result of the California Gold Rush. Prior to the California Gold Rush, the biggest gold discoveries w… [more]
An Interview with Smithsonian Coin and Currency Curator Richard Doty

When I was 8 years old I had a friend named Jimmy Hood. His father was in the army, and he had been on the staff with General MacA… [more]
U.S. Pattern Coins Tell the Stories Behind Our Currency

I started collecting coins when I was five years old, and I started dealing when I was 13 or 14. Most kids start with coins of cir… [more]
A Lucky Locket

Call it beginner's luck, but a four-year-old kid found a 16th-century gold pendant the other day. It was his first time using a me… [more]
Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)
Legendary Coins and Currency

This online exhibition from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History is a great way to get an overview… [read review or visit site]
Society of U.S. Pattern Collectors

Home to the Society of U.S. Pattern collectors, this well-organized site provides in-depth information on pattern c… [read review or visit site]
Clubs & Associations: US Coins
- Southern Gold Society
- Society of U.S. Pattern Collectors
- American Numismatic Association
- American Numismatic Society
- Coneca
- Numismatic Bibliomania Society
If These Shirts Could Talk: The Tantalizing Tales Behind Used Clothes
Jockeying for Position: How Boxers and Briefs Got Into Men's Pants
Gloriously Grotesque 19th-Century Pipes
In the Hot Seat: Is Your Antique Windsor a Fake?
Love at First Kite: How Pizza and Pente Led to One Oklahoman's High-Flying Obsession
Blood, Sweat, and Steel: My Afternoon with the Ace of Swords
'The Great Gatsby' Still Gets Flappers Wrong
Say Ahhh: An Oral Surgeon's Quest to Reimagine the Garage-Band Guitar
Forget TV Pickers, Meet the Real Mavericks of the Antiques World
Coveting The Craziest Cat-People Collectibles

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