Specifications

Denomination: Quarter eagle
Designer: Obverse: John R. Sinnock; reverse: John R. Sinnock
Weight: 4.18 g
Diameter: 18 mm
Edge: Reeded

One of only two $2.50 gold commemoratives ever struck: John Sinnock’s standing Liberty and Independence Hall, with just 46,019 distributed (APMEX; PCGS).

History

Legislation signed March 3, 1925, authorized up to 200,000 gold quarter eagles for the 1926 Sesquicentennial Exposition in Philadelphia — the 150th anniversary of American independence — issued through the National Sesquicentennial Exhibition Association at an official sale price of $4 (PCGS).
Mint Chief Engraver John R. Sinnock designed both sides: a standing Liberty holding a torch of freedom and a scroll representing the Declaration of Independence on the obverse, and Independence Hall on the reverse. The Commission of Fine Arts endorsed the concept with minor changes (PCGS).
Sales lagged badly: of 200,226 struck (including 226 assay pieces), 154,207 were eventually melted, leaving a net distribution of 46,019. Heritage notes that net figure amounted to one-third of the total net mintage of all U.S. gold commemoratives issued from 1903 to 1926 (PCGS; Heritage).
It is one of only two commemorative quarter eagles ever struck — the other being the 1915-S Panama-Pacific — which makes it required for any complete gold commemorative set and gives it a following among gold type collectors and registry participants well beyond its mintage (APMEX; GreatCollections). This entry is part of the Classic U.S. Commemoratives series.

What is it worth

As a dated market snapshot, Doyle’s April 17, 2026 auction estimated an uncirculated example at $800–$1,200 — that auction’s estimate for that coin, not a universal current value (Doyle).
Published guide values for this issue have swung widely between editions: Numismatic News has cited figures as divergent as $425 in MS60 / $1,350 in MS65 in one edition and $500 / $3,450 in another. Treat any single guide number with caution and check recent eBay sold listings for the grade in question (Numismatic News).
Every example carries a gold floor: 0.1209 troy oz of actual gold content at 90% fineness, so melt value moves with the gold price (APMEX).

What drives the premium

Strike and luster: the dies were executed in unsatisfactory low relief, so finished coins are often indistinct — sharply struck, lustrous examples are worth seeking out (PCGS; Doyle).
Gem quality: the very shallow relief means the high points show friction almost immediately, so genuinely gem examples with unbroken luster across Liberty’s figure are far scarcer than the surviving population suggests (GreatCollections).
Type demand: as one of two $2.50 commemorative types, it draws commemorative specialists, gold type collectors, and registry set builders competing for the same coins (GreatCollections).

How to identify the valuable variety

Philadelphia struck the entire issue with no mintmark (APMEX).
On the reverse there is a feature in the field that looks somewhat like a fingerprint but represents rays of the sun — a mint characteristic, not damage, though it is not distinct on all pieces (PCGS).
When grading, look for friction at the center of Liberty’s standing figure first; nearly all specimens are lustrous and frosty, so breaks in luster there are the grade-setter (PCGS).

Specifications

Composition: 90% gold, 10% copper (APMEX)
Weight: 4.18 g (GreatCollections)
Gold content: 0.1209 troy oz (APMEX)
Diameter: 18 mm (APMEX)
Edge: Reeded (JM Bullion)
Alignment: Not verified in consulted references
Designers: Obverse: John R. Sinnock; reverse: John R. Sinnock (APMEX)
Mint: Philadelphia — no mintmark (APMEX)

Collector notes

Mintage context: 200,000 authorized; 200,226 struck including 226 assay pieces; 154,207 melted; 46,019 net distributed (PCGS).
The obverse carries the dual dates 1776 and 1926 alongside UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and LIBERTY; the reverse reads SESQUICENTENNIAL OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE with IN GOD WE TRUST, E PLURIBUS UNUM, and 2 1/2 DOLLARS (Provident Metals).
Original exposition packaging was apparently never issued; one known contemporary holder is a Bethlehem National Bank Christmas card enclosing the coin (PCGS).