Numismatic

1838-1866 $10 Liberty Gold Eagle No Motto (Cleaned)

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During the mid nineteenth century, the United States Mint produced a ten dollar gold piece that captured the spirit of a growing nation. Minted between 1838 and 1866, this early iteration of the Liberty Gold Eagle is distinguished by the absence of the national motto on the reverse, a design characteristic highly specific to this era of American coinage. Each coin contains 0.4838 troy ounces of gold, struck in a 0.900 fine purity. The obverse features a left facing portrait of Liberty, her hair secured by a band inscribed with her name. Thirteen stars encircle the portrait, representing the original colonies. On the reverse, a heraldic eagle stands with a protective shield across its chest, clutching an olive branch and arrows. The inscriptions on this side include the issuing authority, United States of America, and the face value, Ten D. These historic gold pieces were struck at various federal minting facilities, which included Philadelphia, Carson City, Denver, New Orleans, and San Francisco. Because these coins circulated widely as actual currency, surviving specimens frequently show signs of past cleaning or evidence of having been used in jewelry, making each surviving piece a unique survivor of nineteenth century commerce.