U.S. Bust Quarters (1796-1838)

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The two main types of Bust quarters were the Draped Bust, minted from 1796-1807, and the Capped Bust, minted from 1815-1838. The Draped Bust quarter features a right-facing portrait of a lady with flowing hair and a ribbon behind her head on the obverse. While the obverse design remained nearly the same until 1807, the Draped Bust series had two reverses: the Small Eagle and the Heraldic Eagle. In 1815, the U.S. Mint began producing a new Capped Bust design of the U.S. quarter with Lady Liberty facing left and wearing a cap with the word “LIBERTY” embellished across the cap’s bottom. The reverse side of the Capped Bust quarter features a bald eagle grasping three arrows and an olive branch. Bust quarters were replaced with the Seated Liberty quarter in 1838.