1850 Quarter Error List with Pictures
There can be a fifth numeral on an 1850 quarter: part of an extra 1 hiding on the rim. An unworn example reached $5,750 before auction fees in Heritage’s April–May 2025 sale.
This 1850 Liberty Seated Quarter error guide also explains a reported rotation on New Orleans coins. The estimated whole-coin range is $100–$10,000, with the rotation estimate applying after the error is established.
Read on to locate the extra digit and check the angle between the coin’s two faces.
1850 Liberty Seated Quarter Reported Rotation on New Orleans Coins
A tilted eagle after a top-to-bottom turn can show that the two designs were stamped at the wrong angle. One of the steel stamping tools, called dies, had turned out of alignment.
Collector Greg Johnson mentioned reports of a noticeable rotation on 1850-O quarters. He also stated that he had not personally seen an example.
The report gives no measured angle for an 1850-O coin. Its O below the eagle identifies New Orleans.
The useful test is whether the whole back stays tilted each time the coin is turned the same way.
Estimated Value
For an 1850-O quarter with an established rotation, use an estimated $100–$2,000 across circulated conditions. The scarce New Orleans issue already has collector value before any error is considered.
A large, easy-to-show turn can add interest, while slight misalignment may add little. Deep scratches or a cleaned surface reduce appeal.
The estimate applies to the complete coin with a demonstrated error, not to a seller’s rotation claim based only on separately positioned photographs.
How to Identify
Locate the O beneath the eagle first, and keep the complete 1850 date in your record. Read the denomination below the eagle to distinguish the quarter from a smaller half dime.
Place Liberty upright in a clear holder or grip the coin firmly at its left and right edges. Turn it over from top to bottom without rotating it sideways.
Check whether the eagle stands upright, then repeat the motion. A steady tilt of the eagle and back lettering together is the feature to measure.
Johnson’s discussion distinguishes the 1850-O report from his illustrated 1848 example. Measure your own coin’s angle instead of borrowing that other year’s angle.
Photograph both faces with the turning axis held fixed so another collector can repeat the check.
1850 Liberty Seated Quarter Extra 1 on the Rim
Look below and slightly left of the normal date for the base of an extra 1. Part of its upright stroke can also remain on the rim.
The misplaced mark was punched into the steel stamping tool during date preparation. That tool copied the unwanted digit fragment onto coins struck from it.
Collectors identify this Philadelphia variety as FS-301 or Briggs 1-A. Those names describe the same misplaced-date variety, not two separate errors.
Because the extra numeral sits on the exposed rim, heavy wear or an edge knock can hide much of it.
Estimated Value
Estimate $100–$10,000 for identified examples ranging from worn coins to attractive unworn pieces. The visibility of the extra 1 matters, but surface condition still drives much of the price.
An NGC MS65 example, a well-preserved unworn coin, reached $5,750 before fees in the April–May 2025 Heritage sale. The published results list it as lot 3579.
That amount is for the whole quarter, not a separate price for its extra digit.
How to Identify
Use a magnifier to follow the rim from the first normal date digit toward the lower-left border. Search for the small base and rising stroke of a second 1.
Turn the light across the area from more than one direction. A genuine numeral remnant should have a recognizable shape, while a rim dent often leaves irregular displaced metal.
Compare the fragment with a clear photograph of FS-301 while retaining the full date in view. Its location matters as much as its shape.
On a worn coin, part of the extra digit may have disappeared. An empty-looking rim therefore cannot, by itself, prove the coin came from a different stamping tool.
The surviving base joined to part of the upright is the strongest quick match.
Conclusion
The extra 1 on the rim offers a precise feature to seek on an 1850 Philadelphia quarter. The New Orleans rotation report instead calls for a repeatable check of both faces.
Together, the estimated whole-coin ranges span $100–$10,000. The $5,750 before-fee auction result belongs to an unworn misplaced-date coin; it does not price a worn quarter or establish the reported rotation.