1857 Liberty Head $10 Gold Eagle

1857 Liberty Head $10 gold eagles are generally regarded as scarce coins since relatively few pieces were originally made. These beloved U.S. gold coins were designed by United States Mint Chief Engraver Christian Gobrecht, who was the third individual to serve in that role. In addition to creating the design on 1857 Liberty Head eagles coins, Gobrecht designed Seated Liberty coinage, which was made from the late 1830s through early 1890s and remains popular with numismatists nowadays.

1857 $10 gold eagle coins contain 0.4806 ounces of gold. While these coins are valued for their intrinsic gold content, they are also highly prized as numismatic collectibles and are worth considerably more than their gold value alone. Here’s a look at the 1857 Liberty Head gold eagle $10 coin mintage figures and values:

• 1857, 16,606 minted; $1,639

• 1857-O 5,500; $3,541

• 1857-S, 26,000; $1,967

*Values are for coins grading Very Fine 20.

While these mintage figures represent tiny outputs, these coins are actually much scarcer than even the numbers above may seem to indicate, as many of these pieces have been melted or otherwise damaged beyond recognition due to heavy circulation. This is a rather common situation with many pre-1933 U.S. gold coins, due to melting and loss through heavy circulation. Because of the overall scarceness of many pre-1933 U.S. gold coins, such as 1857 $10 eagles, it’s recommended that they are purchased as certified pieces from reputable third-party coin grading firms.