1843-C Small Date

The 1843-C Small Date is the rarer of two logotype varieties Charlotte produced in 1843, with Bass and Akers both placing it well behind its Large Date counterpart in survivor counts despite sharing the year's combined 26,096-piece mintage. The Small Date logotype uses noticeably more compact numerals, a feature that becomes the variety's primary attribution point because the rest of the die work matches the Large Date pieces struck from the same reverse working dies. PCGS estimates roughly 50 to 75 examples survive in this format across all grades, a figure that sits at the lower end of any Charlotte quarter eagle population on record. Most known pieces fall in Very Fine through Extremely Fine; a handful of About Uncirculated coins exist in advanced collections, and certified Mint State examples are essentially unobtainable for new buyers entering the series today.

Date-size verification carries the attribution. The Small Date numerals stand shorter and tighter than the Large Date punch, with the 8 and the 4 sitting closer together than on the more common variety; side-by-side comparison against a reference Large Date image is the most reliable way to confirm a borderline coin. The C mintmark on the reverse needs the same scrutiny applied to every Charlotte issue. Counterfeiters add a C mintmark to common Philadelphia 1843 quarter eagles to fabricate the rarity, so the punch should show consistent serif depth, sharp font geometry matching the Charlotte die standard documented by Doug Winter, and no tooling marks where the mintmark meets the surrounding field. Weight at 4.18 grams within standard tolerance and specific gravity near 17.2 for the 90 percent gold alloy confirm the planchet composition. Genuine surfaces show the granular Charlotte texture without the seam lines or porosity of cast counterfeits.

Because the Small Date is the scarcer half of an already low-mintage year from a branch mint with low survivor rates across the board, collector demand stays steady regardless of grade. Even certified Fine examples bring multiples of generic Charlotte material at auction. See the full Liberty Head Quarter Eagle series history.