Numismatic

1853 $10 Liberty Gold Eagle XF

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In 1853, the Philadelphia Mint produced 201,253 of these ten-dollar gold coins. Today, they survive as intriguing artifacts of mid-nineteenth-century American currency, especially since a vast number of these gold pieces were melted down over the decades, leaving only a fraction for modern enthusiasts to examine. Designed by Christian Gobrecht, this series was minted from 1838 to 1907. The obverse presents a left-facing portrait of Liberty, her hair bound by a band inscribed with the word LIBERTY. Thirteen stars encircle her, representing the original colonies, with the year 1853 anchored at the bottom. On the reverse, a heraldic eagle stands with a shield across its chest. The bird holds its traditional symbols while surrounded by the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Below the eagle, the denomination is abbreviated as TEN D. Each coin contains 0.4838 troy ounces of gold, minted with a purity of 0.900, representing a classic era of United States coinage.