Obv: Liberty head faces left with the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM around the border at the date 1878 below. Liberty's hair is tied in a bun, and a band extending back from the forehead is inscribed LIBERTY. The point of the truncation touches the border before the date. Rev: An eagle with spread wings clutches an olive branch in its right talon and three arrows in its left. The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is above and the denomination 2 1/2 DOLLARS is below. The diameter is larger than that of the contemporary regular issue quarter eagle (20.5 mm vs. 18 mm), but it is correspondingly thinner. A marvelous Superb Gem with a dusting of pale silver-olive iridescence to otherwise warm, vivid, reddish-orange color. Direct lighting calls forth playful reddish-rose undertones - very attractive. The finish is boldly cameoed and contrasts frosty motifs with reflective fields. Fully struck, expertly preserved, and of the utmost significance.

This pattern type is attributed to George T. Morgan, and it was produced in accordance with the ideas on anti-counterfeiting introduced by Dr. J.T. Barclay on the 1860 Judd-271 pattern half eagle. Barclay believed that the most dangerous and difficult to detect method of counterfeiting U.S. gold coins was to hollow out the inner gold core and replace the extracted metal with an equal amount of platinum, a less valuable metal than gold at the time, but one which weighed about the same. It was thought that coins struck on thinner planchets would be more difficult to hollow out, thus making this method of counterfeiting less attractive. The Mint abandoned the idea in 1860, after only a few experimental pieces were struck. The attempt in 1878 met with the same fate, likely because the thinner coins provided difficult to produce in the same manner as the regular issue Type II gold dollars of 1854 to 1856.

The Judd-1566 gold striking is a legendary rarity. Although both Akers and Pollock listed two specimens in this metallic composition, later research published on the uspatterns.com website confirms that the provenance refers to only a single coin, offered here, and identifiable by a tiny lint mark or similar strikethrough in the reverse field to the left of the letter C in AMERICA. This type is usually represented by copper strikings, Judd-1567, although that attribution is rare in its own right with only about a dozen known. To simulate the unique gold specimen, some of the copper pieces have been gilt. There is no substitute for the real thing, however, and Judd-1566 is it - the unique gold striking from these dies and a rare artifact of a failed Mint initiative to combat counterfeiting in the 19th century.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

ACH, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

All winning lots will be shipped domestically via FEDEX, United States Postal Service, or DHL. Please note: A delivery confirmation shipment will be required for all orders. Delivery methods depend on the value of the shipment (for insurance purposes). All orders sent via Priority or Express require a signature confirmation. Please refer to the chart below to see how your winning lots will be shipped. Once your order has shipped, we will send you an email containing the order tracking information.

Total Value of Shipment Shipping Method
$1-$299 First Class
$300-$24,999 Priority or 2-Day
$25,000-$199,999 Express or Overnight
$200,000+ Contact us for Special Arrangements
Chart applies to U.S. addresses only -- items shipped to international addresses from the United States will be delivered via Fed Ex and items shipped from our Hong Office will be delivered via EMS with the exception of countries that EMS service does not cover.

If you would like your order shipped domestically via FedEx, please contact our Client Services department at (800) 458-4646. Additional charges may apply.

• How much do you charge for shipping and handling?

Within the United States: All orders are shipped via USPS. All orders will have the following postage and insurance charges in addition to a $.50 handling charge per lot added to the purchase price:

Invoice Amount Postage & Insurance
Up to $299 $12.00
$300- $499 $17.00
$500- $999 $20.00
$1000- $2499 $24.00
$2500- $4999 $27.00
$5000- $9999 $30.00
$10000- $14999 $40.00
$15000- $19999 $45.00
$20000- $24999 $50.00
$25000- $49999 $75.00
$50000- $74999 $100.00
$75000- $99999 $125.00
$100000- $249999 $250.00
$250000+ $400.00


All international orders (including Canada and Mexico) shipped from the United States will be shipped via Fedex or UPS depending on the destination country. All orders will have an international insurance fee of 1/2% of the subtotal of the invoice (hammer price plus buyers fee), with a minimum insurance fee of $10 plus a $.50 handling charge per lot in addition to the postage below. For shipments from our Hong Kong office via EMS, please refer to the Hong Kong Auction section.

Invoice Amount Postage
Up to $2,500 $50.00
$2,501-$10,000 $60.00
$10,001-$100,000 $75.00
$100,001-$200,000 $125.00
$200,001+ $500 or Contact us for Special Arrangements


All orders shipped from the Hong Kong, China Office are shipped via EMS with the exception of countries that EMS service does not cover. All orders will have an international insurance fee of 1/2% of the subtotal of the invoice (hammer price plus buyers fee), with a minimum insurance fee of $10 plus a $.50 handling charge per lot in addition to the postage below. The following countries have EMS coverage: Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Thailand. Our international shipping rates will apply to countries not covered by EMS. If you have special shipping requests from our Hong Kong, China Office, please contact [email protected].

Invoice Amount Postage
Up to $300 $35.00
$301-$1,000 $40.00
$1,001-$2,000 $45.00
$2,001-$3,000 $50.00
$3,001-$5,000 $55.00
$5,001-$10,000 $60.00
$10,001-$25,000 $70.00
$25,001-$50,000 $80.00
$50,001-$75,000 $90.00
$75,001-$100,000 $100.00
$100,000-$200,000 $125.00
$200,000+ $500.00 or Contact us for Special Arrangements

by Stack's Bowers Galleries
June 16, 2026 12:00 PM PDT
1550 Scenic Ave
Suite 150
Costa Mesa, CA, US 92626

Stack's Bowers Galleries

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 27% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $20
$100 $199 $20
$200 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $200
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 $499,999 $20,000
$500,000 $999,999 $50,000
$1,000,000 $1,999,999 $50,000
$2,000,000 + $100,000