United States of America AR Seated Liberty Quarter Dollar or 25 Cents. Dated 1857. New Orleans mint.

Designs by Joseph Roëttiers. LUD • XV . D • G • FR • ET NAV • REX (crescent), draped bust to left; JR. in small lettering on truncation / SIT NOMEN DOMINI BENEDICTUM ★ 1728, round shield of France crowned, between two olive branches linked at the base; E (mintmark) below. Edge inscription: DOMINE SALVUM FAC REGEM. Dyplessy, Royales 1676; Gad R2 313; Ciani 2118. 14.51gr, 33mm, 6h.

Fine. Rare.

From the private collection of author and historian Dr DeWitt Bailey; thence by descent to his grandson.

Struck by the authority of the Confederate States Treasury Department from March 21, 1861, until the supply of captured Federal silver ran out in April 1861. Thirteen stars around Liberty seated to right, head to left, holding stick with cap and resting her right arm on shield inscribed LIBERTY; date below / UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, eagle facing, wings spread, head to left, holding branch and arrows; mintmark and denomination below. KM A68; WB-103. 12.34gr, 31mm, 6h.

Good Very Fine. Toned. Bisecting die crack in date.

From the private collection of author and historian Dr DeWitt Bailey; thence by descent to his grandson.

The year 1861 was a time of upheaval for the New Orleans Mint. It began under US control, but Louisiana's secession in early 1861 led to a brief period of state-run coinage. With Louisiana joining the Confederacy, production continued until the mint ran out of blanks. This seemingly minor detail, a die crack running from Liberty's nose, holds immense historical significance. Early in the Confederacy's existence, four half dollars were struck using a proposed new reverse die paired with a standard US obverse die. This specific die had the telltale crack. Further production by the Confederacy used the same cracked obverse die alongside a different reverse die. This, along with the later die state of the crack, confirms Confederate minting beyond the initial four coins. Extensive research by Wiley and Bugert identified specific die pairings as definitive proof of Confederate coinage. The Confederacy's official coin production was minimal, limited to a small number of cents (mostly restrikes) that never saw full circulation. Therefore, these half dollars with the die crack stand as exceptional historical artifacts, minted during the Confederacy's infancy in the spring of 1861.

Gustav Julius Buschick, Mint Master. IOHANN V.G.G. KOENIG VON SACHSEN, head to left, B below / EIN THALER XXX EIN PF. F., Genie on horseback to left, carrying a flag; date below. Edge inscription: GOTT SEGNE SACHSEN. AKS 159; Jaeger 10 SW 132; KM 1230; Davenport GT III 898. 18.38gr, 33mm, 12h.

Very Fine.

From the private collection of author and historian Dr DeWitt Bailey; thence by descent to his grandson.