1815 Capped Bust Quarter
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 89,235 made
- Mintage
- 89,235
- Metal
- 89.24% silver, 10.76% copper
- Weight
- 6.74 g
- Diameter
- 27 mm (1815–1828); 24.3 mm (1831–1838)
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is an 1815 Capped Bust Quarter worth?
This is one of the dates collectors hunt for. A genuine 1815 is valuable in any condition, even well worn. That's exactly why fakes and altered coins turn up so often.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1815 Capped Bust Quarter rare?
- Yes. Only 89,235 were made, 4th lowest of the 18 regular issues in the series.
- Is the 1815 Capped Bust Quarter silver?
- Yes. It's 89.24% silver, 10.76% copper and holds 0.1934 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1815 Capped Bust Quarter?
- No mint mark. All struck in Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1815 are scarcer?
- None. Within five years either side, no Philadelphia issue had a smaller mintage than the 1815.
- How many 1815 Capped Bust Quarter coins were made?
- 89,235.
What to check on your 1815
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Check the date and mint mark under magnification for tooling or added letters. Scarce dates are the ones forgers alter.
- Don't clean it. Cleaning leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
- Old coins pick up damage over a long life. Look for holes, bends, scratches or signs of cleaning before you judge the grade, because a damaged coin sells for a fraction of a problem-free one.
- Judge the grade under good light. Wear first appears on the curls near the ear, the cap and the eagle's wings. The word LIBERTY on the headband should be clear in Fine.
Never clean it. Collectors pay strong premiums for original surfaces and natural toning on a date like this. A cleaned coin can lose half its value or more. Low-mintage dates attract altered and counterfeit coins. Check that the date have not been tooled or added, or buy one already certified by PCGS or NGC.
The story of the 1815
1815 was the first year of the Capped Bust Quarter. Philadelphia struck 89,235 of them. After that, Philadelphia didn't make another until 1818.
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1815 you find is from Philadelphia. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1828 (102,000) and the 1822 (64,080).
Across Philadelphia's 18 Capped Bust Quarter issues, the hardest to find is the 1827 with 4,000 made. The 1815 is on the scarcer side of the middle.
John Reich's large quarter arrives (1815 to 1819)
After seven years without quarters, the Mint struck 89,235 of John Reich's Capped Bust design in 1815. Liberty wears a cloth cap with a band reading LIBERTY. The reverse eagle carries E PLURIBUS UNUM on a scroll above it with 25 C. below. No quarters are dated 1816 or 1817, since a fire at the Mint in January 1816 disrupted silver coinage and quarters were slow to return.
Some 1815 quarters carry a small E or L punched above Liberty's head. The same marks appear on certain 1825 quarters and their purpose has never been settled. The 1818 run of 361,174 was the largest of these years and includes an 1818/5 overdate made from a reworked 1815 die. Quarters of this era were struck without a close collar, so diameters vary slightly and many coins show weakness at the stars and the eagle's claws.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1815
No cents are dated 1815. The War of 1812 cut off supplies of copper planchets from England, so the Mint had nothing to strike until new stock arrived. The quarter dollar returned in 1815 with the Capped Bust design.
How to recognize it
Liberty faces left wearing a cloth cap with a band inscribed LIBERTY, surrounded by 13 stars with the date below. The reverse shows an eagle with a shield on its breast and the value 25 C. below. Early coins are larger and carry E PLURIBUS UNUM on a scroll; in 1831 the coin was made smaller on new close-collar presses and the motto was removed.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Capped Bust Quarter (1815–1838) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1815 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 89,235 |
| Face value | 25¢ |
| Composition | 89.24% silver, 10.76% copper |
| Weight | 6.74 grams |
| Diameter | 27 mm (1815–1828); 24.3 mm (1831–1838) |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.1934 troy oz (6.015 g) |
| Designer | John Reich; reduced-size version by William Kneass |
Mintage: United States quarter mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.