1847-C

Charlotte's 1847 quarter eagle delivery totaled 23,226 pieces, a substantial recovery from the 4,808 struck in 1846 and one of the higher Charlotte quarter eagle outputs of the decade. The North Carolina facility processed bullion from southern Appalachian mining districts that had stabilized after the surface deposits of the late 1830s played out, and 1847 fell within a productive stretch supported by deeper lode operations. The Charlotte Mint existed specifically to convert regional gold without forcing miners and dealers to ship bullion north to Philadelphia at considerable risk, and its quarter eagle output served Carolina commerce in a hard-money economy where coin remained more trusted than paper from any single bank.

Authentication centers on the C mintmark, positioned on the reverse below the eagle. The genuine Charlotte punch shows a slightly stocky, rounded character profile with uniform stem thickness and clean serif terminations that match confirmed reference specimens. Counterfeiters working from common Philadelphia hosts typically produce mintmarks that look too thin, too sharp, or sit at the wrong angle relative to the eagle's tail feathers, with disturbed surface metal betraying the addition under 5x to 10x magnification. The surrounding field should flow naturally into the mintmark relief without solder halos, tooling marks, or recessed perimeters that signal an after-mint modification. Standard checks at the 4.18 gram weight and 18 millimeter diameter eliminate the more obvious struck fakes that surface in lower-grade holders.

Survival estimates run between 250 and 400 examples across all grades, with most pieces falling in the Very Fine to Extremely Fine range and Mint State coins genuinely rare. The 1847-C sits more comfortably in the Charlotte date set than the punishing 1846-C, but Key Date pricing still applies in higher grades and original-skin examples draw competitive bidding when they appear at auction. Strike characteristics on Charlotte quarter eagles tend toward softness in Liberty's hair behind the ear and the eagle's wing tips, a function of branch-mint die preparation rather than circulation wear, and a fully struck piece commands a meaningful premium over typical examples in the same technical grade. The orange-gold patina characteristic of southern branch coinage marks the wholesome unmolested survivors that collectors building Charlotte sets prioritize over higher-graded but cleaned alternatives. See the full Liberty Head Quarter Eagle series history.