Numismatic

1851-O $10 Liberty Gold Eagle VF

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In 1851, the New Orleans branch of the United States Mint struck a limited run of 263,000 gold ten-dollar coins. Today, these pieces are highly prized survivors of an era when precious metal coinage actively circulated in daily commerce. Over the decades, vast numbers of these gold issues were melted down, making the remaining examples, such as those preserved in Very Fine condition, remarkable windows into the past. The obverse of this ten-dollar gold piece features a left-facing portrait of Liberty, created by designer Christian Gobrecht. Her hair is bound by a band clearly inscribed with the word LIBERTY, and she is encircled by thirteen stars representing the original colonies. This design was a staple of American gold coinage, appearing on these pieces from 1838 all the way through 1907. On the reverse, Gobrecht's heraldic eagle stands with a shield across its chest. The eagle holds the traditional symbols of American sovereignty, surrounded by the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Below the bird, the denomination is abbreviated as TEN D., and the distinctive letter O mint mark designates its origin at the historic New Orleans minting facility. Each of these historic coins was struck with 0.4838 troy ounces of gold at a purity of 0.900.