1875-CC

Carson City delivered 140,000 quarters in 1875, the third-lowest CC quarter mintage after the 1873-CC Arrows and No Arrows issues that defined the mint's earliest output on the denomination. The Coinage Act of February 12, 1873 had raised quarter weight to 6.25 grams; by 1875 the Mint had concluded that the supply of pre-Act lighter coins was no longer a meaningful confusion in commerce, so the arrowheads came off the dies and the design returned to standard With Motto form. The 1875-CC is therefore the first Carson City quarter struck without arrows under the 6.25-gram standard, and the CC mintmark below the eagle on the reverse marks it as one of the small-output western pieces that western-mint collectors actively pursue.

What grades and authenticates the issue starts with the mintmark. The CC should read with both letters cleanly separated and original to the die; smearing, recutting, or evidence of added punches is a red flag, since Carson City coins have long been targets for mintmark addition to common-date Philadelphia pieces. The motto "IN GOD WE TRUST" on the banner above the eagle must be present, and the date area must show no arrows, which separates the 1875-CC from the 1873-CC and 1874-CC issues that preceded it. Strike quality is typical Carson City for the period: the reverse runs slightly softer than Philadelphia output, with some weakness on the eagle's right leg and the upper shield, and full strikes are scarce enough that they trade at a meaningful premium. A genuine planchet falls within tolerance of 6.25 grams; weight materially outside that band warrants careful examination.

PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC, the Numismatic Guaranty Company, populate the issue most heavily in Fine through Very Fine. Extremely Fine examples are scarce; About Uncirculated coins are genuinely difficult; and Mint State survivors are condition rare. The issue is one of the more obtainable CC quarters in circulated grades but punches well above its raw mintage in upper grades because so few were preserved out of commerce. Buy certified for any meaningful purchase, since the combination of a key mint and a low mintage attracts authentication concerns. For the broader story of Gobrecht's design and the series' late-1870s production, see the Seated Liberty Quarter series history.