How to Identify the Draped Bust Quarter

What This Coin Is

The Draped Bust Quarter is the first twenty-five-cent coin of the United States, struck in silver at the Philadelphia Mint. The photographed coin is dated 1796, the inaugural year and the only year of the type's first reverse. Because the earliest issue carries no numeral of value, identifying it means reading the portrait, the border stars, the eagle reverse, and confirming the coin's silver metal and size.

Read the Obverse

The obverse shows Liberty facing right with long, flowing hair tied by a ribbon and drapery gathered at the shoulder — the feature that names the type. A ring of stars surrounds the bust, LIBERTY arches above the head, and the date sits below; on this coin it reads 1796. Count the stars: the 1796 issue has fifteen. A clear date and readable star ring are the primary confirmations, since wear softens the hair strands and drapery lines first.

Read the Reverse

The reverse identifies the sub-type. The 1796 coin uses the Small Eagle reverse: a slender eagle perched within an open wreath, with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the rim and no mark of value. Quarters of 1804–1807 instead use the Heraldic Eagle — a broad eagle with a shield on its breast, arrows and an olive branch in its talons, clouds and stars above, and the denomination '25 C.' below. Matching the reverse to the date is a key authentication step: a 1796 date paired with a shield eagle, or a later date with a small eagle, signals a problem.

Check Size, Metal, and Edge

This is an early silver coin about 27–28 mm in diameter and roughly 6.7 grams in weight — clearly larger than a dime or half dime but smaller than the half dollar of the era. The edge is reeded, and the surfaces should look like toned silver rather than bright white or coppery. There is no mint mark, because all quarters of this period came from Philadelphia. Weighing and measuring a suspect coin is a useful early filter: wrong diameter, wrong weight, or any magnetic response rules out a genuine piece.

Look-Alikes and Authentication Cautions

Do not confuse the Draped Bust quarter with the same-era Draped Bust half dollar, which shares the design at a larger size, or with the later Capped Bust quarter (from 1815), which uses a different Liberty portrait. Because the 1796 quarter is a scarce, high-value one-year rarity, it is a frequent target for counterfeits, casts, added or re-engraved dates, and coins altered from other denominations. Be wary of pieces that look unusually sharp for their age, show tooling in the hair or stars, or have suspicious edges. Any promising Draped Bust quarter should be authenticated by a reputable grading service before you rely on its value.