1804 25C Draped Bust Quarter Dollar PCGS F15 (CAC)

We at AUCM are offering a rarity that is hard to locate in all grades, circulated or uncirculated. The same year that Founding Father Alexander Hamilton was felled by the bullet of Aaron Burr (1804) saw this first year of the Draped Bust/Heraldic Eagle type quarter produced by the mint in Philadelphia. The sophisticated numismatist knows that this is a piece to be held onto and treasured. This is the kind of type coin that is found among the most important collections.

      The Draped Bust motif of Liberty was created by the noted portrait artist Gilbert Stuart, possibly at the insistence of George Washington himself. Stuart's model is said to have been Ann Willing Bingham, a Philadelphia socialite considered among the most beautiful women of her time. Stuart's rendering was transferred to plaster by artist John Eckstein, followed by coinage dies executed by mint chief engraver Robert Scot. We are told that Stuart felt the execution of his image into a coin was comparable to one performed by a hangman, resulting in the murdering of the artistry of his work. That is why he disowned his connection with the coin's design and most people today assume it was completely the work of Scot.

      Numismatic scholar and art critic Cornelius Vermeule writes of this coin, "Liberty...is now a buxom Roman matron, with rich, curling tresses scarcely contained by the ribbon and large bow at the back of her head; her full face has been endowed with a Roman dignity that recalls some massive marble bust of Minerva or Dea Roma, goddess of Rome and her empire..." The year 1804 saw the mint place 13 stars on coins to represent the original states.

      The reverse features a heraldic eagle, an adaptation by Robert Scot of the eagle featured on the diplomatic medal crafted by French medalist Augustin Dupre. 13 stars are also found on the reverse of the heraldic quarter, hovering above the eagle. Puffy clouds appear above the stars, while UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and 25 C. are engraved around the rim. A shield is located upon the eagle's breast, while a ribbon in its beak declares E PLURIBUS UNUM. Warlike arrows are grasped firmly in his right talon, while the olive branch of peace is held firmly in his left.