1834 Capped Bust Quarter Proof
Proof struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 10 made
- Mintage
- 10
- Metal
- 89.24% silver, 10.76% copper
- Weight
- 6.74 g
- Diameter
- 27 mm (1815–1828); 24.3 mm (1831–1838)
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is an 1834 Capped Bust Quarter Proof worth?
This is one of the dates collectors hunt for. A genuine 1834 is valuable in any condition, even well worn. That's exactly why fakes and altered coins turn up so often.
What would make yours worth more:
- Grade and, for proofs, strong cameo contrast
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1834 Capped Bust Quarter Proof rare?
- Fairly. The Mint made 10 for collectors. Most were kept in their original packaging.
- Is the 1834 Capped Bust Quarter Proof silver?
- Yes. It's 89.24% silver, 10.76% copper and holds 0.1934 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1834 Capped Bust Quarter?
- No mint mark. All struck in Philadelphia.
- How many 1834 Capped Bust Quarter proofs were made?
- 10.
What to check on your 1834
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Judge the grade under good light. Wear first appears on the curls near the ear, the cap and the eagle's wings. The word LIBERTY on the headband should be clear in Fine.
Proofs from 1834 were struck one at a time in small numbers and many were later spent or mishandled. Look for hairlines from cleaning, which lower the grade.
The story of the 1834
Smaller quarters from a close collar (1831 to 1838)
In 1831 William Kneass reworked Reich's design for striking in a close collar, cutting the diameter to about 24.3 mm and dropping the scroll with E PLURIBUS UNUM from the reverse. The close collar gave every coin a uniform size and a beaded border in place of the old denticles. The 1831 comes in small letter and large letter reverses.
Output climbed to 1,952,000 in 1835, the largest of the type. The 1833 and 1834 include an O over F error in the word OF on the reverse. The Act of January 18, 1837 changed the standard to 90 percent silver with a weight of 6.68 grams, though the coins look the same. In 1838 the Seated Liberty quarter replaced this design partway through the year. Small-size quarters are the easiest Capped Bust quarters to find in Very Fine and better grades.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1834
The Coinage Act of 1834 reduced the gold content of US gold coins so that they would stop being melted and exported. The change set the gold-to-silver ratio at about 16 to 1.
How to recognize it
Liberty faces left wearing a cloth cap with a band inscribed LIBERTY, surrounded by 13 stars with the date below. The reverse shows an eagle with a shield on its breast and the value 25 C. below. Early coins are larger and carry E PLURIBUS UNUM on a scroll; in 1831 the coin was made smaller on new close-collar presses and the motto was removed.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Capped Bust Quarter (1815–1838) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1834 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Proof |
| Mintage | 10 |
| Face value | 25¢ |
| Composition | 89.24% silver, 10.76% copper |
| Weight | 6.74 grams |
| Diameter | 27 mm (1815–1828); 24.3 mm (1831–1838) |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.1934 troy oz (6.015 g) |
| Designer | John Reich; reduced-size version by William Kneass |
Other 1834 Capped Bust Quarter issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1834 Capped Bust Quarter | 286,000 | Circulation strike | 0.1934 oz |
| 1834 Capped Bust Quarter Proof | 10 | Proof | 0.1934 oz |
Mintage: United States quarter mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.