1827

The 1827 Capped Bust Gold $2.5 Quarter Eagle is the closing year of the Capped Head Left Large Diameter sub-type that ran from 1821 through 1827. It also marks the end of an era for the design itself, since no quarter eagles were struck in 1828, and when production resumed at Philadelphia in 1829 the denomination wore William Kneass's reduced-diameter close-collar redesign with smaller 18.2 millimeter planchets. The 1827 was therefore the last issue produced on the original 18.5 millimeter open-collar standard that John Reich had introduced when he modified his Capped Bust design to face Liberty leftward in 1821. Mint records put the year's delivery at 2,800 pieces, a modest recovery from the 760 coin output of 1826 but still firmly in the low-thousands range that defined the sub-type throughout its run.

For authentication, a genuine 1827 quarter eagle weighs 4.37 grams on a calibrated jeweler's scale and is composed of 0.9167 fine gold with the balance copper and silver. Diameter is the single most useful diagnostic on this issue and should measure 18.5 millimeters with a reeded edge and an up-down coin alignment. That figure separates the 1827 from the larger 1808 Capped Bust Right at roughly 22 millimeters and, just as importantly, from the Reduced Diameter sub-type of 1829 through 1834, which measures 18.2 millimeters under the same calipers. Cast counterfeits surface from time to time and tend to betray themselves through soft rim definition, pebbled fields where original luster should sit, and a faint seam visible at the edge under loupe magnification.

For modern collectors, the 1827 sits at the intersection of low original mintage and structural significance as the final Large Diameter year. Survival estimates fall in the range of forty to seventy examples across all grades, with circulated pieces in Very Fine to Extremely Fine appearing at major auctions a handful of times each year and About Uncirculated examples turning up considerably less often. Mint State survivors are genuinely scarce and command strong premiums when offered with original surfaces. Demand draws from date collectors building the short Capped Bust series and from sub-type specialists seeking a clean closer to the 1821 to 1827 Large Diameter run. See the full Capped Bust Quarter Eagle series history.