1843-C Large Date

The 1843-C Large Date is the more frequently encountered of the two date-punch varieties Charlotte produced for the year, separated from its scarcer Small Date sibling by the height and breadth of the four-digit logotype. Both came out of a combined 26,096-piece run, the smallest annual figure Charlotte would post for the Coronet quarter eagle through the late 1840s. The Large Date carries taller, more openly spaced numerals that read clearly even on coins worn into the lower circulated grades, which is how most have come down to collectors. Survivor estimates from PCGS and Doug Winter put the Large Date at roughly 100 to 150 examples in all grades combined, with most clustered between Fine and Extremely Fine. Uncirculated pieces are functionally absent from the population reports, and even nicely struck About Uncirculated coins appear at major auctions only every few years.

Authentication starts at the date itself. The Large Date numerals measure noticeably taller than the Small Date logotype; placing the digits against the rim and against the bust truncation gives a quick first read before higher-magnification work is needed. Counterfeiters target Charlotte issues because the soft strikes and granular surfaces typical of the facility forgive a poor cast, so the C mintmark deserves close attention regardless of the date variety in hand. The genuine punch sits low on the reverse below the eagle, with sharp serif corners and consistent depth across all three terminals; a tooled or added mintmark shows disturbed metal at the punch perimeter, asymmetric serifs, or a font that diverges from the standard Charlotte working die documented in the Doug Winter reference. Weight should land within tolerance of the 4.18-gram standard, and specific gravity for the 90 percent gold alloy reads near 17.2. Values outside those ranges flag a base-metal core or a poor planchet substitution.

For collectors building a Charlotte type set or a date-by-date Coronet run, the 1843-C Large Date sits alongside its Small Date counterpart as the only path to the year. It commands strong premiums even in problem grades because gradeable survivors are so few, and any reasonably original example holds long-term collector interest. See the full Liberty Head Quarter Eagle series history.