1853 Gold Coronet Liberty Head Quarter Eagle

Unchanged for 68 years, the Liberty Head Quarter Eagle has the record for the longest uninterrupted use of a coin design without any major alterations. Designed by Christian Gobrecht, the quarter eagle features a large, left-facing head wearing a wide coronet inscribed with the word LIBERTY. The reverse depicts a heraldic eagle based on John Reich's design, which had been used since 1808. The longevity of the series has made for a number of rarities, making it a popular and difficult series for collectors to complete.

The fact that this coin still exists after the last 165 years is nothing short of a miracle. It made it through the economic chaos that surrounded the Civil War, when gold was hoarded and melted down. Then came the Great Depression, during which private ownershipof gold was made illegal and most gold coins were confiscated by the government. This classic gold coin has been witness to mmore than two-thirds of our nation's history and survived.