In 1796, the first Early Quarter Eagles were minted, having a bust with freedom cap image of Liberty on the obverse facing to the right; just 963 of these earliest $2.50 gold pieces were produced. Later that year, 432 more coins were minted, with 13 stars added to the obverse of the coins. Production of this version continued until 1807. Then, in 1808, the Quarter Eagle was redesigned with the image of Liberty now facing left. Production of the $2.50 gold coins was suspended between 1809 and 1820. In 1821, the Quarter Eagle was again redesigned, and the Capped Head Quarter Eagle was produced through 1834, with the 1829 through 1834 coins having a slightly smaller diameter than the 1821 through 1827 coins. All of these early gold quarter eagles are rare and popular. NGC or PCGS certified higher graded examples command strong values in the market, and coins listed here for sale are superior examples.