1838 Seated Liberty Quarter Proof
Proof struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 3 made
- Mintage
- 3
- Metal
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 6.68 g
- Diameter
- 24.3 mm
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 1838 Seated Liberty Quarter Proof worth?
This is one of the dates collectors hunt for. A genuine 1838 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 1838 Seated Liberty Quarter Proof rare?
- Fairly. The Mint made 3 for collectors. Most were kept in their original packaging.
- Is the 1838 Seated Liberty Quarter Proof silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.1933 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1838 Seated Liberty Quarter?
- On the reverse, below the eagle. Philadelphia quarters have no mint mark.
- How many 1838 Seated Liberty Quarter proofs were made?
- 3.
What to check on your 1838
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Judge the grade under good light. The word LIBERTY on Liberty's shield is the classic test: fully visible in Fine, partly worn in Very Good, gone in Good.
Proofs from 1838 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 1838
Seated quarters before the 1853 weight cut (1838 to 1852)
Christian Gobrecht's Seated Liberty quarter replaced the Capped Bust late in 1838. The first coins have no drapery at Liberty's elbow. Extra folds of cloth were added in 1840, the same year the New Orleans Mint struck its first quarters in both styles. New Orleans then made quarters in most years of the 1840s, with the mint mark below the eagle.
After the California gold discoveries, silver rose in value against gold. Quarters became worth more as bullion than as money, so many were melted or shipped abroad. Philadelphia struck only 160,000 in 1851 and New Orleans just 88,000. The 1849-O, 1851-O and 1852-O are the scarce dates of these years. The 1842 small date exists only as a Philadelphia proof, while New Orleans struck both small and large dates that year.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1838
Three branch mints opened in 1838: New Orleans, Louisiana and the gold-only mints at Charlotte, North Carolina and Dahlonega, Georgia. The Liberty Seated design reached the quarter.
How to recognize it
Liberty sits on a rock holding a shield inscribed LIBERTY and a pole topped with a liberty cap, with 13 stars around her and the date below. The reverse shows an eagle with QUAR. DOL. below. Arrows beside the date (1853 to 1855 and 1873 to 1874) and rays around the eagle (1853) mark weight changes. The motto IN GOD WE TRUST appears above the eagle from 1866.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Seated Liberty Quarter (1838–1891) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1838 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Proof |
| Mintage | 3 |
| Face value | 25¢ |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 6.68 grams |
| Diameter | 24.3 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.1933 troy oz (6.012 g) |
| Designer | Christian Gobrecht |
Other 1838 Seated Liberty Quarter issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1838 Seated Liberty Quarter | 466,000 | Circulation strike | 0.1933 oz |
| 1838 Seated Liberty Quarter Proof | 3 | Proof | 0.1933 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.