1851-O $10 Liberty Head Eagle NGC AU58

This is a rare piece in its assigned grade, one that would be a great addition to the collection of either a specialist in $10 Eagles or New Orleans gold. NGC has graded 162 as AU58 with 23 finer. Collectors Universe gives this issue a price of $6,000.00 in AU58.

The original gold bullion documents from the New Orleans Mint are kept in the Fort Worth National Archives branch. These records are dated from April 1, 1851, to January 16, 1861. They tell us that in April 1851, the facility received 34,223 ounces of gold, and 33,999 ounces of that total was comprised of California gold. That gold was used to make this offering from AUCM.

The New Orleans Mint in a post card of 1907, where this rarity was struck in 1851. Image: Wikimedia Commons.

This is a quality made issue. After a time when properly striking Eagles seemed to be a challenge for the officers and workers at the New Orleans Mint, the quality dramatically improved in 1851. Writes gold specialist Doug Winter, “This is generally a much better produced issue than the 1848-1850 eagles. The obverse does not have the ‘sunken’ look seen on the previous three issues … The center is fairly sharp with good hair detail, with the exception of the curls around the face which are not fully struck. The reverse is usually sharp except for the eagle’s right leg feathers which are often weak.”