United States Seated Liberty Quarter
1838–1891 • No Motto & With Motto • Carson City Rarities • The 1873-CC No Arrows
Seated Liberty Quarters Value Guide
Key Dates and Typical Values by Type
| Date / Type | Mintage | Good (G-4) | Fine (F-12) | VF-20 | AU-50+ | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1838–1853 No Motto (common date) | Varies | $30 | $60 | $110 | $400+ | Shop |
| 1853 Arrows & Rays (one-year type) | 15,210,020 | $30 | $55 | $150 | $800+ | Shop |
| 1854–1855 Arrows Only | Varies | $30 | $50 | $100 | $500+ | Shop |
| 1866–1891 With Motto (common date) | Varies | $25 | $45 | $90 | $350+ | Shop |
| 1870-CC (first Carson City quarter) | 8,340 | $12,000+ | $25,000+ | $28,000+ | $75,000–$185,000+ | Shop |
| 1871-CC | 10,890 | $12,000+ | $25,000+ | $40,000+ | $85,000+ | Shop |
| 1872-CC | 22,850 | $2,500+ | $6,000+ | $13,000+ | $27,500+ | Shop |
| 1873-CC Arrows | 12,462 | $4,500+ | $9,000+ | $15,000+ | $40,000+ | Shop |
| 1873-CC No Arrows | 4,000 (5 known) | Not available | — | — | $460,000+ (record) | Shop |
Seated Liberty quarters span 1838 through 1891, and most dates are surprisingly affordable in circulated grades. However, the Carson City issues from the early 1870s rank among the most expensive coins in the entire quarter denomination. The values above reflect typical certified retail ranges for problem-free coins. Cleaning, damage, or weak strikes can cut a coin's value sharply, while strong eye appeal pushes it higher.
This guide sits within our U.S. quarters overview, between the early Draped Bust and Capped Bust quarters and the Barber quarters that followed. For values across every denomination, see the coin price guide. If you're not sure of your coin's date, mint, or grade yet, start with What's My Coin Worth?
Origins of the Seated Liberty Quarter
The Seated Liberty quarter replaced the Capped Bust design in 1838. It borrowed the seated Liberty motif that Christian Gobrecht had introduced on the silver dollar two years earlier. The design then stayed in use for 53 years, through the run-up to the Civil War, the war itself, Reconstruction, and the start of the Gilded Age. Only the Washington quarter has held the denomination longer.
On the obverse, Liberty sits on a rock, holding a shield marked LIBERTY and a pole topped with a liberty cap. Meanwhile, the reverse carries an eagle with a shield on its breast, clutching arrows and an olive branch. Every coin in the series uses the .900 fine silver standard that the Mint adopted in 1837 and kept through 1964.
Four mints struck the series: Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco from 1855, and Carson City from 1870. As a result, collectors have a rich field of date and mint mark combinations to chase, and that variety is a big part of why the series stays popular with date-and-mint collectors today.
Design Types and Major Varieties
Like its sister denominations, the Seated Liberty quarter divides into No Motto (1838–1865) and With Motto (1866–1891) types. The split came in 1866, when the Mint added IN GOD WE TRUST on a ribbon above the eagle. Within the No Motto era, the biggest variant is the 1853 Arrows & Rays type. It marks a cut in the coin's silver weight, and you can spot it by the arrowheads beside the date and the rays around the eagle.
The rays lasted only one year because they made the coins harder to strike well. The arrows stayed through 1855, and then the plain No Motto design returned. In 1873, the With Motto era got its own weight marker. The Coinage Act of 1873 raised the quarter's weight slightly, from 6.22 to 6.25 grams, so the Mint added arrows beside the date for 1873 and 1874 only.
That change created one of the series' most dramatic rarities. Carson City struck its 1873 No Arrows quarters at the old weight before the new design arrived, and almost all of them were later melted. The Key Dates section below covers the full story.
The Carson City Quarters
Carson City struck Seated Liberty quarters in 1870 through 1873 and again from 1875 through 1878. The early run is where the rarities live. The 1870-CC, the first quarter from the Nevada mint, had a mintage of just 8,340, and Stack's Bowers estimates only 45 to 65 survive. In fact, the only Mint State example known, the Eliasberg coin, sold for $187,000 back in 1997. The 1871-CC (10,890 struck) is just as tough, while the 1872-CC (22,850) is somewhat more available but still a major key date.
These coins circulated hard in the mining-era West, where few people saved coins. For that reason, most survivors are well worn, and many have damage. The later Carson City dates are a different story. The 1876-CC and 1877-CC had large mintages and are affordable, so they make a good first CC quarter for most collectors.
The 1873-CC issues stand apart even within this group. Carson City struck 12,462 quarters with arrows, which is a genuine rarity on its own. Earlier that year, though, it struck 4,000 No Arrows quarters at the old weight, and nearly all of them were melted. Only five are known today, three of them in Mint State, so it is the rarest Seated Liberty quarter struck for circulation. Any Carson City quarter deserves PCGS or NGC certification, given the values and the counterfeiting risk involved.
Key Dates and Major Rarities
1873-CC No Arrows
1870-CC
1873-CC Arrows
1853 Arrows & Rays
1871-CC & 1872-CC
1866 With Motto — First Year
Related Coin Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the rarest Seated Liberty quarter?
What is the difference between No Motto and With Motto Seated Liberty quarters?
What is the 1853 Arrows and Rays quarter?
Why are Carson City Seated Liberty quarters so valuable?
Should I buy raw or certified Seated Liberty quarters?
What is a good entry point for collecting Seated Liberty quarters?
A Guide Book of Liberty Seated Coins. Values & Market Data – Includes detailed retail pricing, auction records, rarity ratings, and certified population data to guide collectors and investors.
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