1839 $10 Liberty Head Eagle, Small Letters Head of 1840 NGC AU53
IN STOCK
SKU
6687218008
Great rarity to add to your collection—only 50-60 known, per PCGS!
According to Doug Winter, this issue was produced after the Eagle design was remodeled in 1839. It is noticeably different from the Type of 1838 that was struck earlier in the year. Rare in all grades, there are an estimated 50-60 known to exist today from the original mintage of 12,447.
NGC has graded 6 in AU53 with 13 finer. Collector’s Universe prices this issue at $17,500.00 in AU53.
This issue is typically seen in very low grades of VF20 to XF40. It becomes quite rare in AU with around ten or so properly graded pieces known. In Uncirculated it is slightly more available than other rarities in the series.
Christian Gobrecht, who crafted the Liberty head design for the $10 eagle. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
The second type of Liberty Head eagle produced in 1839, the Small Letters is distinguished from its Large Letters counterpart not only by the difference in size for the reverse lettering, but also by significant modifications to Liberty's portrait. The 1839 Small Letters was produced to the extent of just 12,447 pieces, as opposed to the slightly more generous mintage of 25,801 coins for the 1839 Large Letters, and is by far the rarer of the two issues. This is often overlooked (and, consequently, underrated) by collectors focused on the brevity of the Large Letters design type of 1838 and early 1839. In fact, PCGS CoinFacts provides an estimate of only 50 to 60 coins extant in all grades for the 1839 Small Letters. The vast majority of these coins are circulated to one degree or another, and even the primary specimen in the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution is an AU-55 (per Garrett and Guth, 2008).
| PCGS # | 8580 |
|---|---|
| Grading Service | NGC |
| Year of Issue | 1839 |
| Grade | AU53 |
| Denom Type | Liberty Head $10 |
| Numeric Denomination | $10 |
| Mint Location | Philadelphia |
| Designation | NONE |
| Circ/UnCirc | Circulated |
| Strike Type | Business |
| Holder Variety | Small Letters, Head of 1840 |
| Grade Add On | NONE |
| Holder Type | N/A |
