1825 Capped Head Quarter, 5/4/2, Browning-1

All 1825 Capped Bust quarters were struck from three die marriages, which paired two obverses with three reverses.⁽¹⁾

Furthermore, 1825 quarters are all overdates: that is, the “5” digit was punched over a previously existing digit (or digits -- plural). Until fairly recently, numismatists have debated since 1884 over the identity of the overdated digit(s).⁽²⁾

Researcher Steve Tompkins settled this dispute in 2008 with publication of his Early United States Quarters 1796-1838. Tompkins convincingly reasoned both 1825 obverse dies are leftovers from 1822 and 1824, and both are correctly described as 1825/4/2 overdates.⁽³⁾

Let’s break down the sequence of events leading to this conclusion:

1. Five obverse dies were manufactured in 1822. Remember, because their design elements were generated manually, there are subtle, identifiable differences between all five dies.
2. Only one of these was needed to strike quarters for 1822, leaving four of them unused.
3. One of the four unused 1822 dies was overdated with a “3” to strike 1823/2 quarters, leaving three unused 1822 dies.
4. The three remaining unused dies were all overdated with a “4” to strike 1824/2 quarters. However only one die was needed to meet the small quantity of quarters ordered by the Mint’s silver depositors in 1824.
5. This left two unused 1824/2 obverse dies, which were soon overdated again, with a “5” punched on top of the 4 (which was already punched over a 2) for striking 1825/4/2 quarters.

As mentioned, all 1825 quarters were struck from one of three die marriages, often called die varieties. Numismatists have named these varieties as B-1, B-2, and B-3. The “B” is for A.W. Browning, who catalogued many quarter die varieties in his classic book The Early Quarter Dollars of the United States, 1796-1838, first published in 1925.⁽⁴⁾

Recognizing the difference between the 1825 die varieties is crucial, because of their varying availability and value. Here is how they rank:⁽⁵⁾

• Browning 1 - Rare
• Browning 2 - Fairly Common
• Browning 3 - Scarce

The rarest of the three by far, the B-1, can be attributed easily. The obverse die on the B-1 places star #8 higher and has a wider date. On B-2 and B-3, star #8 is lower and the date is closer (i.e., narrower).

PCGS estimates there are 237 of the 1825/4/2 quarters, of which only a small percentage of them are the B-1 variety.

The trend charts on Rare Coins 101 depict price movements for the 1825 Browning-1 variety. Its value performance far exceeds those of the B-2 and B-3. If this fascinating overdate interests you, be sure to focus on the B-1 variety, if long term price appreciation is your goal.

Preview of eBay selection (the B-1 variety of the 1825 25C is very difficult to find):

Trendline Avg = 23.65	BETTER

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