While 1796 quarters get more than their fair share of attention, sought after as one-year type coins and the first year of the denomination most beloved by the modern American public, connoisseurs know that in Mint State the 1804 quarter is the classic rarity of this denomination. With a tiny mintage, of which just a sliver survives in high grade, this is a coin dreamed about by specialists, avidly sought to complete date sets or represent one of the most charismatic dates in American coinage, 1804.

Few collections built anywhere have included an 1804 quarter, and long is the list of advanced collections that have lacked one entirely. PCGS has graded fewer 1804 quarters in all grades than any other date in the Draped Bust series. In Mint State, no other date comes close in rarity; the 1804 is the rarest date in the series in high grade by a wide margin. There are three examples certified as MS-64 by PCGS, but none finer. Adding to the desirability of the 1804 is its status as the first year of issue with the Heraldic Eagle reverse.

The example to the left was sold by Stack's Bowers Galleries in the D. Brent Pogue Part I Auction, where it realized $211,500.