1820 Medium 0

The 1820 Medium 0 quarter occupies the middle slot in a three-variety year defined by inconsistent zero-digit punches at the Philadelphia Mint. The full 1820 mintage stood at 127,444 coins, shared across Large 0, Medium 0, and Small 0 deliveries; no records survive to credit any individual punch size with a specific share of that figure. The Medium 0 is the variety most easily misattributed at first glance, since it can resemble the Large 0 in casual light and the Small 0 on worn examples. Careful collectors building a 1820 variety set typically work outward from the Medium 0 to anchor the other two punch sizes, using it as a reference point because its proportions sit cleanly between the extremes.

The coin carries the Type 1 specifications introduced by John Reich and continued through the large-size series: 27 millimeters, 6.74 grams, 89.24 percent silver and 10.76 percent copper, reeded edge. To identify the Medium 0, compare both zeros in the date to the height of the 2 directly to their left. On a Medium 0 piece, the zeros stand slightly shorter than the 2, with moderately thick walls and an open but not exaggerated center. The lower curve of each zero clears the denticle line by a small but visible gap. Browning attributions tie the variety to specific obverse and reverse pairings, and the confirmation usually relies on matching denticle spacing and the position of leaves on the reverse olive branch. Weight at or very near 6.74 grams remains a primary authentication check on a coin small enough to be tampered with.

PCGS and NGC list the Medium 0 as its own variety in their attribution systems. Survival is comparable to the Small 0, with both trailing the Large 0 in raw population. Heritage Auctions and Stack's Bowers handle the variety regularly within Capped Bust quarter collections, and broader context lives in the Capped Bust Quarter series history.