1872-CC $10 Liberty Head Eagle PCGS VF35 (CAC)

Writes Doug Winter, “Only 4,600 1872-CC eagles were made and this date is rare in all grades. Around 65 to 75 exist, with most in lower grades. I doubt if more than 10 About Uncirculated pieces exist, with most in the AU50 to AU53 range. This date is very rare in properly graded AU55 and AU58.”  PCGS has graded 9 as VF35 with 50 finer. Collector’s Universe prices this issue at $27,500.00 in VF35. In CAC, there is one in VF with 12 finer. CAC gives this issue a price of $21,500.00 in VF35.

The Carson City Mint, where this great rarity was struck in 1872. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

The 1872-CC Liberty Head eagle is one of the rarest coins of the series. The entire small mintage of 4,600 was released into circulation in the Old West and remained there for many years. During the 1870s, numismatists basically ignored high-denomination gold except for a few prominent collectors who acquired proof sets from the Philadelphia Mint. Additionally, coins with mintmarks were virtually ignored until at least the 1890s. The result is that all of the surviving 1872-CC tens are abraded and worn, with the singular exception of a Mint State piece graded NGC MS62, which sold via Heritage Auctions for $240,000.00 at the FUN Show in 2020.