1849 Liberty Head $10 Gold Eagle

1849 Liberty Head $10 gold coins were, as a date, made in fairly substantial numbers and many of those coins were melted down or have been lost due to heavy circulation. These classic U.S. gold coins were designed by Christian Gobrecht, who served as the third Chief Engraver of the United States Mint. In addition to designing 1849 Liberty Head $10 gold eagles, which were first coined in 1838 and contain 0.4806 ounces of gold, Gobrecht also designed Seated Liberty coinage, which was made generally from the late 1830s through early 1890s.

Here’s a breakdown of the 1849 Liberty Head gold eagle $10 coin mintage and values:

• 1849, 653,618 minted; $1,639

• 1849-O, 23,900; $2,492

*Values are for coins grading Very Fine 20.

While the mintages listed above might appear somewhat sizeable, especially in the case of the Philadelphia issue, there actually are many fewer 1849 Liberty Head $10 gold coins in existence today than were originally minted. This is quite common with many pre-1933 U.S. gold coins in general. Given the overall scarceness of many pre-1933 U.S. gold coins, such as 1849 $10 eagles, it’s a good idea to buy them certified from reputable third-party coin grading firms or, if purchased “raw,” from trusted coin dealers or bullion distributors.