Semi-Numismatic

$10 Liberty Gold Eagle (Cleaned)

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Introduced in the late 1830s, the ten dollar gold piece represents a major era in American coinage, remaining in production all the way until 1907. These pieces were struck across multiple federal facilities, including the main mint in Philadelphia as well as branch mints in San Francisco, New Orleans, Carson City, and Denver. Over the decades, many of these gold issues were melted down, making surviving specimens fascinating survivors of early American commerce. Some examples available to study today show signs of past cleaning or evidence of being mounted as jewelry. The obverse features a left-facing portrait of Liberty. Her hair is bound by a band clearly inscribed with her name, and she is encircled by thirteen stars representing the original colonies. On the reverse, a bold heraldic eagle guards a shield on its chest. The eagle holds the country's name, United States of America, along with the ten dollar denomination. Depending on the year of issue, the reverse may or may not feature the motto In God We Trust, which was officially introduced to the design in 1866. Each of these historic coins is composed of 90 percent gold, containing 0.4838 troy ounces of the precious metal. Designed by Christian Gobrecht, the imagery on this coin offers a direct window into nineteenth-century American design sensibilities.