Carson man may have found rare 1877 quarter

A Carson City man thinks he has found the rare 1877 quarter secretly put into circulation by a coin collector last weekend.

Nevada State Museum officials will meet with the man today to check the quarter for special marks, verifying whether it is the same one spent at a city store. If it is confirmed, the man is eligible to collect a $300 reward.

"He's probably got it, but the coin was very specifically marked, so it would not be confused with other coins of that date and time," said Bob Harmon, spokesman for the Department of Cultural Affairs. "He's not 100 percent sure where he got it yet. Once we talk to him about the stores, we may be able to cross verify it. No sense in pointing arrows to specific locations until we're sure we got the right coin."

Reno coin dealer and collector Rusty Goe deliberately hid the silver quarter inside a stack of coins and spent it at a busy store in the middle of the city as a promotion for the upcoming Carson City Mint Coin Show at the museum Aug. 28 - 20.

The "Seated Liberty" quarter was minted in Carson City in 1877. It has Liberty with stars and the date on front and an eagle with the "CC" mark and the words "United States of America Quar. Dol." on the tails side. It's one of the more common coins surviving from the mint and valued at about $200 to $250. The quarter was one of 4.1 million minted in Carson City from 1838 to 1891. Only about 7,500 survive.

Goe, who owns Southgate Coins in Reno with his wife, Marie, put special markings on the one he spent, to identify it if someone turns it in, he said. Only he and museum history curator Bob Nylen know what those marks are.

Contact Jill Lufrano at jlufrano@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.