No quarters were minted between 1807 and 1818, with the sole exception of the year 1815, when 89,235 were struck. Similar to the other smaller silver coins, the need for the quarter was largely obviated by the circulation of the Mexican double real, worth exactly the same face value (the phrase “two bits”, meaning 25 cents, originated with the usage of the double real). Mint officials had no plans to produce any quarters in the summer of 1814, when a large shipment of Mexican silver dollars arrived from a New Orleans bank, accompanied by a letter requesting the silver be coined into quarter dollars and returned to the bank. After some hesitation, the Mint delivered more than 69,232 quarters in December 1815, followed by another 20,003 a month later. All bore the date of 1815.

For collectors hoping to add a quarter directly connected to the War of 1812 years, the 1815 issue is their only choice.

1815 Capped Bust Quarter
Values in Year
1950…..Good:$2.00 …..MS60:$35.00…..MS65:$NA
1975…..Good:$25.00…..MS60:$2500…..MS65:$NA
2000…..Good:$60.00…..MS60:$2000…..MS65:$3750
2003…..Good:$60.00…..MS60:$2000…..MS65:$3750
2006…..Good:$75.00…..MS60:$2500…..MS65:$5000

++ Half Dollar. Capped Bust, 1812-1815. ++

The half dollar was perhaps the most important coin issued by the Mint the first few decades of the 19th century, not just during the War of 1812. Indeed, it became the “coin of the realm”, and was produced continuously throughout the war, usually numbering more than a million pieces annually. A primary reason why the Mint saw fit to produce so many half dollars is because there were no foreign coin substitutes of equal face value to serve the public. Also, half dollars were instrumental in bank transfers. However, only 47,150 halves were struck in 1815, the lowest mintage of the entire Capped Bust half dollar series. The financial burden of paying off the war debt sent the U.S. economy reeling, greatly reducing the demand for coinage.

War of 1812 half dollars exist along the full range of the rarity spectrum. Included in this analysis is a common date (1814), a semi-key (1814, 4 over 3), and a couple of key dates (1812, 2 over 1 large 8 and 1815, 5 over 2).