1882

A modest rebound from the rock-bottom 691-piece run of 1881 brought the 1882 Quarter Eagle to 4,040 business strikes at Philadelphia, characteristic of Mint production planning during the early 1880s when gold-coin output was calibrated almost exclusively to assay and depositor demand rather than general circulation. The Long Depression had eased but the small gold market in the eastern commercial corridor never recovered to its pre-1873 vigor, and the Quarter Eagle continued its drift toward a denomination struck principally for catalog continuity. Working dies for 1882 were prepared from late-period hubs that show the clean letter spacing and sharp denticulation typical of post-resumption Philadelphia output, and survivors generally display crisp Liberty hair detail above the ear together with full coronet lettering. A small number show slightly reflective fields traceable to limited-run production, but these should not be confused with proof strikes, which catalog separately.

Surviving population estimates sit in the 100 to 175 range across all grades, with mint state survivors numbering perhaps 25 to 40 pieces. Authentication starts with the weight standard: a genuine 1882 must register 4.18 grams in 0.900 fine gold within a tight tolerance, and any meaningful deviation points to a plated base-metal counterfeit or a reduced-fineness contemporary fake. The 18 millimeter diameter and sharp reeded edge complete the basic physical profile, and coin alignment is ↑↓; a rotation that fails to land cleanly upside down on the vertical axis flag a struck-counterfeit transfer-die piece. Because the 1882 is a sub-5,000 mintage Philadelphia date with adjacent higher-mintage years available as alteration hosts, microscopic inspection of the date digits remains worthwhile even when the coin is in a major TPG holder, since a small number of altered-date pieces have been documented at lower grading services and in raw market offerings over the years. Strike quality on the 1882 is generally above average for the period, so weak detail on a purported uncirculated piece warrants additional scrutiny.

The 1882 occupies a clear Semi-Key bracket within the Coronet Quarter Eagle date set, more accessible than the 1881 and 1885 but still thin enough on the market that focused collectors should buy when an honest example appears rather than wait for an upgrade that may take years to surface. See the full Liberty Head Quarter Eagle series history.