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2 1/2 Dollars, Proof, United States, 1840

National Museum of American History

Object Details

mint
U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
designer
Gobrecht, Christian
Description (Brief)
One (1) 2 1/2 dollar coin, proof
United States, 1840
Obverse Image: Bust of Liberty facing left and wearing a coronet. Stars around.
Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1840
Reverse Image: American eagle with wings spread, shield over chest, and clutching arrows and branch.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / 2 1/2 D.
Description
United States Mint, Philadelphia. Obverse: Head of Liberty facing left, with coronet; stars around, date below. Reverse: Eagle, denomination (2 ½ D.). The quarter eagle carried the William Kneass designs a year longer than the half, but in 1840 a new Liberty head made its debut, another of Christian Gobrecht's concepts. It was tidy and serviceable, and it held the stage for nearly seventy years. A few proofs are also known from this first year of coining. This is one of three proofs that have been documented.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
U.S. Department of the Treasury, U.S. Mint
1840
ID Number
1985.0441.0312
catalog number
1985.0441.0312
accession number
1985.0441
Object Name
coin
Physical Description
gold (overall metal)
0 (overall die axis)
0 (overall die axis measurement)
struck (overall production method)
Measurements
overall: 18 mm; 23/32 in
place of issue
United States
Related Publication
Glossary of Coins and Currency Terms
Related Web Publication
http://americanhistory.si.edu/coins/glossary.cfm
See more items in
Work and Industry: National Numismatic Collection
Coins, Currency and Medals
National Museum of American History
Record ID
nmah_1077812
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b3-1617-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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