BG- 711, 1868 California Fractional Gold 25C, Liberty Octagonal NGC MS66 R4

Here is a beautiful gem from the extensive California Fractional Gold series from Frontier & Company. NGC has graded only 23 examples of this popular variety. Of those, there are 7 that carry the superior grade of MS66 with only 3 finer. This is a more affordable specimen in the better grade of MS66. Look at the images of this coin with its striking design and reflective fields.  

The obverse of this octagonal 25c piece has a left-facing Liberty head with long wavy hair, surrounded by nine stars. As are many of these varieties, the design is inspired by the federal issues of the 19^th century. The reverse presents a wreath with berries that open at the top and tied at the bottom with a ribbon. At the top of the wreath at the gap is ‘1/4’ and below within the wreath is ‘DOLLAR’ and ‘1868.’ The first ‘8’ in ‘1868’ is weakly struck. This tiny treasure would be an exciting addition to your collection of California Fractional Gold. 

Photo of the damage to the Alameda County Courthouse after the 1868 Hayward earthquake that struck San Francisco. The inset shows the courthouse before the earthquake. The earthquake struck the year the BG-711 was produced. Photo: Wikipedia.