1841-O

The 1841-O Seated Liberty Quarter is the second New Orleans quarter issue and the first to be struck entirely on the Drapery hub introduced at Philadelphia in mid-1840. Reported delivery of 452,000 pieces is a notable increase over the combined 382,200 attributed to the 1840-O subtypes, and the figure sits comfortably above the 120,000 the Mother Mint struck the same year, making New Orleans the larger 1841 quarter producer. The coin carries the same Drapery obverse and heraldic-eagle reverse used across the wider series at this point, with the O mintmark on the reverse below the eagle. New Orleans was still in its early years as a federal coin facility, and 1841 represents a normalizing year for quarter production at the branch.

Strike on the issue runs uneven, the usual pattern for New Orleans silver in this era. Liberty's head, the cap above it, and the inner shield lines often come up soft, while the eagle's claws and lower leg feathers are typically the first detail to weaken on a tired die. The drapery diagnostic at Liberty's elbow confirms the post-1840 obverse hub: visible cloth folds extending downward from the arm into the gown identify the With Drapery subtype the date belongs to, and that diagnostic remains readable down into Very Good. Survival skews to the Good through Very Fine band, with the bulk of circulated examples sitting in Fine and VF. Mint State coins are uncommon; PCGS and NGC populations thin sharply above MS61, and gem MS65 survivors are scarce at either grading service. Counterfeit risk is moderate enough at higher grades that certification through a major service is the working standard for any purchase above Very Fine, and weight should fall near 6.68 g per the Mint Act of January 18, 1837.

The Regular classification matches how the issue behaves in the market. Date-set builders working through the 1840-1844 New Orleans run treat the 1841-O as the standard slot, and circulated examples in problem-free Very Fine or Extremely Fine clear specialist inventories without much delay. Choice AU and Mint State coins require a longer search; original surfaces, a sharp date, and clean reverse detail around the mintmark matter more than chasing the highest numeric grade. The issue rarely commands the premium that the 1840-O No Drapery does, which keeps it accessible for collectors building a complete early-1840s O-mint group on a working budget. For the broader story of Gobrecht's design, the No Drapery to Drapery transition, and the series' production arc, see the Seated Liberty Quarter series history.