1882

The 1882 quarter records a Philadelphia delivery of 16,300 pieces, the largest figure in the 1879 through 1888 stretch of tiny Philadelphia mintages but still a fraction of the routine multi-hundred-thousand-piece runs the parent mint had handled a decade earlier. The reasons are the same set of circumstances that defined this stretch of the series: Carson City had ended quarter coinage after 1878, San Francisco struck no quarters from 1879 through 1887, and subsidiary silver reserves already in eastern banks left ordinary commerce well supplied. Production for these years served bullion accounts, year-set builders, and the small dealer trade rather than street circulation. The coin belongs to the With Motto, No Arrows subtype that ran from 1875 through 1891, struck on the 6.25 gram weight standard set by the Coinage Act of February 12, 1873.

Strike quality is sharp and consistent on the 1882, with full feather detail across the eagle's right wing, a cleanly rendered shield, and clear banner lettering above. Because the bulk of the 16,300 pieces went to collectors and reserves rather than into pocket commerce, the typical 1882 surfaces today in About Uncirculated and Mint State rather than the heavily worn lower grades that characterize the heavier-mintage early-1870s issues. Authentication should focus on the date digits, where the loops of the 8s must show natural roundness rather than the soft edges of an altered or recut date. Weight on a genuine planchet falls within tolerance of 6.25 grams, and a noticeably off-weight piece is a counterfeit warning. PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC certification is the practical standard for buying anything above a budget grade, since the price compression among the late Philadelphia dates makes authentication the controlling cost.

The 1882 carries a Regular designation on the site, even though its 16,300 mintage sits within a few thousand pieces of the 1879, 1880, and 1881 issues that are catalogued as Semi-Keys, and exceeds the 1884 and 1886 figures by larger margins. The rarity profile of the late Philadelphia run reads as a continuum, and an experienced collector building the series will work through all of these dates on similar acquisition timelines and at similar price levels. Registry-set demand for high-grade coins has tightened available supply at MS64 and finer. Prices in Extremely Fine and About Uncirculated have remained steady over the past decade, while choice and gem Mint State coins have appreciated. For the broader story of Gobrecht's design, the 1892 Barber Quarter transition, and the series' production arc, see the Seated Liberty Quarter series history.