Coins minted from 1862 through 1873 all have the date 1862.
The legend reads "Victoria Queen" for coins dated 1862 - 1876.
It reads "Victoria Empress" for coins dated 1877-1901.

The 1/4 Anna was minted through 1901. The Madras mint only made 1862 coins, while the Bombay mint was used through 1889. Only the Calcutta mint produced coins from 1890 to 1901. There are two obverse types, similar in that both have four dress panels.

The 1/4 Anna must have been popular and well-circulated. There seems to be a lot of coins available showing considerable wear, though you will see higher grades offered as well. Krause states that markings are found on some coins (tiny raised "v" on bottom center of the bust, tiny incuse "C" on a bead of the inner circle below the cetner of the date) but I haven't seen much trace of these markings. There is a photo on the reverse page showing an example of the incuse "C" mark, though. I have read of other similar markings, but haven't seen them in my limited experience. Possibly, only the highest grade coins will show these markings. Many of the higher grade coins I've seen have been marred with unattractive carbon spots.

Type A - The front of the dress has 4 panels. The bottom panel has a single flower just right of center. It is reported that a small incuse "v" may appear on the point of the shoulder or a small raised "v" at the bottom center of the bust. It's also said that some 1875 Bombay coins have an incuse "v" at the right of the bust.
Type B - The front of the dress has 4 panels. The bottom panel has flowers at the left and the right. A small raised "v" appears at the center bottom of the bust, according to reports.

The details in the floral design of the dress are different for the two types. E.g., check just to the right of the lowest dress panel. I cannot independently confirm the various "v" markings listed above.