Capped Bust Quarter

The Capped Bust Quarter is an early United States silver twenty-five-cent coin featuring Liberty facing left in a soft cloth cap, her loose curls falling to the shoulder and the cap band inscribed LIBERTY, surrounded by stars. The reverse shows a bald eagle with a striped shield across its breast, holding an olive branch and arrows, framed by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the denomination. The example shown here is dated 1822.

Struck at the Philadelphia Mint from 1815 through 1838, the series belongs to the first generation of silver quarter coinage the young nation produced for everyday commerce. The design is often called the 'Turban Head' because of the cap's turban-like appearance, though Liberty is in fact wearing a mob cap.

As a genuine early silver coin roughly two centuries old, the Capped Bust Quarter is collected for its early-federal history, its classical portrait, and its relatively low survival rate. Value is driven by date, die variety, and condition far more than by its silver content.

The Capped Bust design was created by Mint engraver John Reich and first appeared on the quarter in 1815, replacing the earlier Draped Bust type. Reich's Liberty, in her cloth cap, brought a more matronly look to the silver denominations and was used across the half dime, dime, quarter, and half dollar of the era.

Quarters of this design were struck only sporadically in the early years, and no quarters were dated 1816 or 1817. The 1822 shown here belongs to the 'large size' variety made from 1815 through 1828 on an open-collar press, which produced coins of about 27 mm with the reverse motto E PLURIBUS UNUM. In 1831 the Mint adopted a close collar and William Kneass reworked the design into a smaller, motto-less 'small size' type struck from 1831 to 1838. All Capped Bust quarters were made at Philadelphia and carry no mint mark.

The series ended in 1838 when the Capped Bust design gave way to Christian Gobrecht's Seated Liberty quarter. Because these coins were made in an age of hand-engraved dies, collectors study them by die marriage, and several notable varieties—including an 1822 struck with a corrected 25/50 C. denomination—are catalogued in specialized references.

Confirm the obverse first: Liberty faces left in a cloth cap with the band lettered LIBERTY, her curls loose over the shoulder, ringed by stars with the date below. The reverse must show a bald eagle with a striped shield on its breast, an olive branch and arrows in its talons, a scroll reading E PLURIBUS UNUM above (on the large-size coins), and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA with the denomination around the rim. The pictured coin is dated 1822.

The coin is 89.24-percent silver, with a reeded edge. Large-size coins (1815–1828), including this 1822, measure about 27 mm across and weigh near 6.7 grams; the later small-size coins (1831–1838) are smaller at roughly 24.3 mm and drop the E PLURIBUS UNUM motto from the reverse. The denomination is expressed as '25 C.' rather than 'QUARTER DOLLAR'.

There is no mint mark on any Capped Bust quarter, as all were produced in Philadelphia. Genuine examples show honest gray silver toning and crisp, hand-cut lettering; be wary of coins that look too sharp for their wear, that show casting seams, or whose date appears re-engraved.

Capped Bust quarters are scarce early silver type coins, and even well-worn common dates carry a substantial premium over their silver value—typically starting in the mid-tens to low hundreds of dollars in Good to Very Good condition, with prices climbing steadily through the higher circulated grades. The large-size 1822 is a collectible date on its own, and the special 1822 25/50 C. denomination variety trades for far more.

Scarcer dates, sharp Mint State survivors with original luster, and sought-after die varieties command large premiums, sometimes reaching into the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. Cleaning, rim damage, holes, and heavy wear all reduce value significantly, as they do on any early silver coin.

Because the series is widely counterfeited and altered, and because die varieties can matter a great deal to price, any higher-value example is best purchased certified by a recognized grading service. Consult a current price guide or recent auction records for specific figures, since the market moves over time.