Owner Comments:
1873 25C Arrows PR68 NGC. The Mint Act of February 12, 1873, converted subsidiary coinage to the metric system, and in so doing slightly increased the weight of silver planchets. Passage of this legislation, sometimes known as the "Crime of '73," discontinued the two cent piece, three cent silver, half dime, and silver dollar, at the same time creating the Trade dollar and moving the Mint offices from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C.
The arrows were a distinguishing mark to easily identify the new coins from the old-tenor silver pieces. The weight change was so slight that old blanks remained within Mint tolerance, and probably remained in use. A further result of the 1873 Act was an order sent to San Francisco and Carson City to melt all older coins that remained on hand, creating rarities for collectors today. In two instances, the order completely eliminated a particular issue. No 1873-S Seated half dollars or dollars are known today, despite mintages of 5,000 and 700 coins, respectively.
Only 540 of these 1873 Arrows quarters were struck in the proof format, and the current specimen is the single finest certified by the two major services. The fields are deeply reflective, and the obverse possesses a warm russet and cobalt-blue edging around that side, with an elliptical area of brilliance over most of the portrait and a portion of the date. The reverse, on the other hand, displays an even steel-blue patina that yields to copper-gold about the periphery. Although undesignated as such, this piece is a remarkable cameo example, with exceptional contrast between the mirrored fields and lustrous devices. Census: 1 in 68*, 0 finer (2/09).