1806 6 Over 5, Stars 7x6

The 1806 6 Over 5, Stars 7x6 is one of two distinct die marriages used to produce the year's quarter eagle output, and the variety is defined by an obverse logotype showing a 6 punched directly over an underlying 5 and an obverse field carrying thirteen stars arranged seven left of Liberty's bust and six right. The companion variety for the year, the 6 Over 4 Stars 8x5, uses a different overdate punch and a different star configuration, so attribution turns on both date diagnostics and star counting before any grade discussion can begin. Mint records list 1,136 quarter eagles delivered for the calendar year, a figure that covers the combined output of both die marriages, and contemporary scholarship divides that already small total between the two pairings without precise per-variety numbers. Within a series whose total surviving population is measured in the low hundreds across all dates, the 6/5 Stars 7x6 sits among the more elusive entries and trades infrequently enough that years can pass between auction appearances at major houses.

Authentication begins with the date. Under 5x to 10x magnification traces of the underlying 5 should be visible inside or just behind the loop of the 6, with remnants of the digit's curved upper arc the most reliable tell, and that overdate signature is the primary attribution diagnostic. Star arrangement provides the second confirmation: thirteen stars arranged seven left and six right of the bust separates the variety from the 6/4 Stars 8x5 sister, and any 1806 piece showing eight stars on the left obverse belongs to the other die marriage. Physical specifications confirm the rest: 4.37 grams on a 20 mm planchet of 0.9167 fine gold and a fully reeded edge.

Survival sits in the rough range of 20 to 35 examples across all grades per PCGS census tracking, with the bulk concentrated in Good through Very Fine. Circulated coins at Heritage and Stack's Bowers typically bring $20,000 to $45,000, About Uncirculated grades reach $60,000 to $110,000, and the rare Mint State example can clear $200,000. Acquisition is best pursued through major-house catalog sales where attribution and provenance carry decisive weight. See the full Draped Bust Quarter Eagle series history.