Seated Liberty Quarters — Values, Key Dates & Collector's Guide
1838–1891 • No Motto & With Motto • Carson City Rarities • The 1873-CC No Arrows
Seated Liberty Quarter Value Guide
Key Dates and Typical Values by Type
| Date / Type | Mintage | Good (G-4) | Fine (F-12) | VF-20 | AU-50+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1838–1853 No Motto (common date) | Varies | $25 | $50 | $100 | $400+ |
| 1853 Arrows & Rays (one-year type) | 15,210,020 | $25 | $50 | $150 | $800+ |
| 1854–1855 Arrows Only | Varies | $25 | $45 | $100 | $500+ |
| 1866–1891 With Motto (common date) | Varies | $20 | $40 | $90 | $350+ |
| 1870-CC (first Carson City quarter) | 8,340 | $3,500+ | $7,000+ | $15,000+ | $50,000+ |
| 1873-CC Arrows | 12,462 | $3,000+ | $6,000+ | $12,000+ | $40,000+ |
| 1873-CC No Arrows | 4,000 | Essentially unobtainable | — | — | $500,000+ |
| 1901-S (King of Barber-era value context) | N/A — see Barber Quarters | See our Barber Quarters guide | |||
Origins of the Seated Liberty Quarter
The Seated Liberty Quarter succeeded the Capped Bust design in 1838, adopting the same seated Liberty motif that Christian Gobrecht had introduced on the dollar just two years earlier. The design would go on to become the longest-running quarter type in American history, spanning 53 years across some of the most consequential decades in the nation's story — the run-up to the Civil War, the war itself, Reconstruction, and the beginning of the Gilded Age. The obverse depicts Liberty seated on a rock, holding a shield inscribed "LIBERTY" and a pole topped with a Phrygian cap, while the reverse carries a heraldic eagle with a shield, arrows, and an olive branch.
The Seated Liberty Quarter also marked a purity milestone for the denomination: it was the first quarter struck in the .900 fine silver standard that would remain in place through 1964, replacing the slightly lower .8924 fineness used on all earlier quarters. This series was struck at four different mints over its run — Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco, and, beginning in 1870, Carson City — creating the rich variety of mint mark combinations that make this such a rewarding series for date-and-mint collectors today.
Design Types and Major Varieties
Like its sibling denominations, the Seated Liberty Quarter divides into No Motto (1838–1865) and With Motto (1866–1891) types, separated by the 1866 addition of "IN GOD WE TRUST" to a ribbon above the eagle. Within the No Motto era, the most significant design variant is the 1853 Arrows & Rays type — a one-year-only design marking a reduction in the coin's silver weight, identifiable by arrowheads flanking the date and small rays radiating from the eagle on the reverse. The rays were dropped after just one year as impractical for die longevity, while arrows alone continued through 1855 before the "plain" No Motto design resumed.
The With Motto era saw its own weight-related design mark in 1873, when a further small increase in silver weight (mandated by the Coinage Act of 1873, the same law that displaced the standard silver dollar) prompted the addition of arrows beside the date for 1873 and 1874 only. This transition created one of the series' most dramatic rarities: the 1873-CC No Arrows quarter, struck at Carson City in the brief window before the new arrows design reached the branch mint — see the Key Dates section below.
The Carson City Quarters
Carson City struck quarters for only four years within the Seated Liberty series — 1870, 1871, 1872, and 1873 — making CC-mint Seated Liberty Quarters some of the scarcest and most sought coins in the entire quarter denomination. The 1870-CC, the very first quarter struck at the frontier Nevada mint, had a mintage of just 8,340 and is a major key date in any grade. The 1871-CC (10,890 minted) and 1872-CC (22,850 minted) are similarly challenging, particularly in problem-free circulated grades given how heavily these coins saw use in the mining-era Western economy.
The 1873-CC issues stand apart even within this already-rare group. Carson City struck 12,462 quarters with arrows (a genuine rarity in its own right) before a separate, earlier batch of 4,000 No Arrows quarters — struck briefly before the arrows design change reached the mint — was apparently melted almost in its entirety. Today only about five examples of the 1873-CC No Arrows are known to exist, making it, in the words of major auction houses, "unquestionably the rarest of all quarters struck for circulation." Any Carson City Seated Liberty Quarter deserves PCGS or NGC certification given the value and 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
Shop Seated Liberty Quarters on eBay
Browse No Motto, Arrows & Rays, With Motto, and Carson City Seated Liberty Quarters — from affordable common dates to certified key dates.
Seated Liberty References on Amazon
Where to Buy Seated Liberty Quarters
These are the marketplaces and resources used by serious Seated Liberty Quarter collectors for buying and research.
eBay
eBay — Carson City Quarters
JM Bullion
Kitco
Money Metals Exchange
SD Bullion
Silver Gold Bull
FRC Coin Price Guide
Related Coin Guides
Find These Coins on eBayMoney Back Guarantee
FindRareCoins.com participates in the eBay Partner Network and Amazon Associates program. Purchases made through links on this page may earn us a commission at no additional cost to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the rarest Seated Liberty Quarter?
The 1873-CC No Arrows quarter is the undisputed rarest — only 4,000 were struck at Carson City before the vast majority were melted, leaving just 5 known examples today (3 in Mint State, 2 circulated). It is widely described as the rarest quarter struck for circulation in all of American numismatics. The 1870-CC, the first quarter ever struck at Carson City with a mintage of just 8,340, is the series' other headline rarity.
What is the difference between No Motto and With Motto Seated Liberty Quarters?
No Motto quarters (1838–1865) have a plain reverse without any religious inscription. With Motto quarters (1866–1891) added "IN GOD WE TRUST" on a ribbon above the eagle, following the same congressional legislation that added the motto to other silver and gold denominations starting in 1866. The change creates a natural dividing line for type collectors, with No Motto coins representing the antebellum and Civil War era and With Motto coins representing Reconstruction and beyond.
What is the 1853 Arrows and Rays quarter?
The 1853 Arrows & Rays quarter is a one-year-only design variant marking a reduction in the coin's silver weight, mandated by Congress to address a shortage of circulating silver coinage. Arrowheads were added flanking the date, and small rays were added radiating outward from around the eagle on the reverse. The rays proved impractical — they wore down dies too quickly — and were dropped after just one year, though arrows alone continued marking the new weight standard through 1855.
Why are Carson City Seated Liberty Quarters so valuable?
Carson City struck quarters for only four years within the entire Seated Liberty series — 1870 through 1873 — at a remote frontier mint serving Nevada's silver mining economy. Mintages were consistently low, and the coins saw heavy circulation in a region with few contemporary collectors to set examples aside. The 1873-CC No Arrows variety adds an additional layer of rarity: a brief production window before a mid-year design change, followed by the near-total melting of that specific issue's mintage.
Should I buy raw or certified Seated Liberty Quarters?
For any Seated Liberty Quarter above a few hundred dollars — and certainly for any Carson City issue — PCGS or NGC certification is strongly recommended. Given the extreme values involved with dates like the 1873-CC No Arrows, counterfeiting and mint mark alteration are genuine risks. Certification provides both authentication and a standardized grade that protects buyers and preserves resale value on any significant purchase.
What is a good entry point for collecting Seated Liberty Quarters?
Common-date No Motto and With Motto quarters from Philadelphia in Good to Fine condition offer the most accessible entry point, typically available for $20–$50. From there, collectors often pursue the 1853 Arrows & Rays as a distinctive one-year type coin before working toward the more challenging San Francisco and New Orleans branch mint issues. The Carson City dates — and especially the 1873-CC No Arrows — represent the ultimate, largely unattainable challenge that defines a truly complete Seated Liberty Quarter collection.
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.
A Guide Book of Washington Quarters Full-color illustrations, current market values, a grading guide, and an appendix on the America the Beautiful silver bullions coins add to the book s reference value.
'
