Lot # 1800: 1923-S Standing Liberty Quarter - NGC XF45

Score a tough key date coin in better condition with this 1923-S Standing Liberty quarter. Graced with an elegant design, this handsome coin has just returned from NGC grading submission, with a pleasing grade of XF45. This well-conceived coin type was designed by sculptor Hermon Atkins MacNeil, with a depiction of the goddess of liberty on the obverse, and an eagle in flight on the reverse. With a relatively small original mintage quantity of 1,360,000 pieces, this date has long been on the tough side to find, especially in such attractive condition as this nicely preserved example. The Standing Liberty quarter was issued during the period 1916-1930, and the dates on those coins struck prior to 1925 wore away too quickly, so a redesign in 1925 saw the date recessed for better resistance to wear. The offered coin bears a full four-digit date, though the lower half of the numeral "2" is blunted. With an estimated survival rate of just 8,000 coins, and a Numismatic Rarity score of R-3.4, the 1923-S date is fairly scarce in all grades. In lesser grades, this date sells for around $500-600 and in an uncirculated state, the price is $4,000 and up, making this certified XF45 example a true "Goldilocks" find.