1804 13 Star Reverse

The 1804 13 Star Reverse is the rarer of the two 1804 quarter eagle variants, distinguished from its sister coin by a count of thirteen stars in the cloud arrangement above the heraldic eagle rather than the fourteen that mark the more available 14 Star Reverse. Both varieties drew on the combined Philadelphia delivery of 3,327 pieces, but the 13 Star die was used briefly and replaced once it failed, leaving a far smaller share of the year's output. Bowers and Akers rank the 13 Star as the scarcer subtype, and PCGS census data places survival at roughly 30 to 50 examples across all grades, mostly between Fine and Extremely Fine, with Mint State coins effectively unavailable. The pairing of the two reverses creates the recognized 1804 collecting set inside the broader Draped Bust quarter eagle date run, and the 13 Star is the half of the pair that resets pricing every time it surfaces.

Authentication starts on the reverse. Under 5x to 10x magnification the cloud arrangement above the eagle's head should reveal exactly thirteen stars; the 14 Star Reverse adds an extra star to the same cluster, and any miscount changes the variety attribution and the price by a substantial margin. Compare the spacing and orientation against Bowers and Akers reference plates before assigning a premium. Specifications confirm the rest: 4.37 grams on a 20 mm planchet of 0.9167 fine gold, a fully reeded edge, and coin alignment with the reverse rotated 180 degrees from the obverse. Any deviation from the 4.37 gram standard or any sign of a softened edge should remove a piece from consideration. Pedigree carries unusual weight at this rarity tier; with so few examples extant nearly every survivor has a documented chain of ownership through named cabinets and cataloged Heritage or Stack's Bowers appearances, and a consigned coin without a traceable provenance warrants extra scrutiny.

Auction frequency reflects the thin survival figure. Fine and Very Fine examples cross at $48,000 to $90,000 when offered, Extremely Fine pieces bring $120,000 to $145,000, and AU coins reach $150,000 to $175,000 at major-house catalog sales. Acquisition is best pursued through Heritage and Stack's Bowers cycles rather than dealer inventory, with the 13 Star and 14 Star typically sourced as a paired effort by date-set collectors. See the full Draped Bust Quarter Eagle series history.