Coin specifications and design
Design identification
Obverse: Liberty bust portrait.
Reverse: A small eagle in 1796 or a heraldic eagle from 1804 through 1807.
U.S. Mint coin reference
1796-1807 Draped Bust Quarter
Draped Bust quarters are scarce early quarter dollars with two major reverse types.
Draped Bust Quarter history
The Draped Bust quarter began in 1796 with the first federal quarter dollars made for circulation. The 1796 issue used a Small Eagle reverse and then the denomination disappeared from production for several years. Quarter coinage returned in 1804 with the Heraldic Eagle reverse, which continued through 1807. Because production was limited and irregular, all Draped Bust quarters are closely associated with the small-scale, hand-prepared coinage of the early U.S. Mint.