Numismatic

1895-O $10 Liberty Gold Eagle AU

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In 1895, the New Orleans mint produced a limited run of just 98,000 gold ten-dollar pieces. Over the decades, a vast number of these issues were melted down, making surviving specimens like this one especially compelling to study. Struck in 90 percent pure gold, each coin contains 0.4838 troy ounces of the precious metal, representing a bygone era of circulating American specie. The visual design, created by Christian Gobrecht, was a long-running staple of United States coinage, minted from 1838 to 1907. On the obverse, a left-facing portrait of Liberty wears a hairband inscribed with her name, encircled by thirteen stars to represent the original colonies. The year 1895 is struck clearly at the bottom. The reverse displays a proud heraldic eagle protecting a shield on its chest. The eagle holds the traditional symbols of national strength and peace, surrounded by the legends spelling out the country of origin, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and the face value, TEN D. Below the eagle, the distinct O mint mark identifies its origin from the historic Louisiana facility.