The No Motto Eagles from New Orleans make an excellent set for the specialized collector. There are no "impossible" dates, although many of these issues will prove very difficult to find in the higher circulated grades, especially with good eye appeal and choice surfaces. Production of eagles at the New Orleans mint didn't begin until 1841; two years after the introduction of the quarter eagle, and a year after the first half eagles were struck. The so-called No Motto eagles were made at New Orleans through 1860 when production was stopped by the outbreak of the Civil War during the following year; the mint didn't reopen until1879. Beginning in 1879, the production of With Motto eagles began in New Orleans and it continued through … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2016
1844-O $10 Gold Liberty
Given its high mintage figure, the 1844-O is similar to the 1843-O in terms of overall and high-grade rarity. The 1844-O is usually seen in the EF40 to AU53 range and often with poor overall eye appeal. It is extremely rare in Uncirculated with six or seven known, as well as one absolutely unquestionable Proof. There are bunches and bunches graded AU55 and AU58 by NGC and PCGS, but only a small handful are CAC quality. Overall Rarity Ranking: 18th of 21 … [Read more...]
1843-O $10 Gold Liberty
The mintage figure skyrocketed to 175,162 coins in 1843, and the 1843-O Eagle is a fairly easy coin to locate in lower grades. It becomes scarce in the higher About Circulated range and it is very rare in Uncirculated with no more than six or seven known. This is an issue which is plagued by bagmarks and many coins are not fully struck at the centers. While the number of coins graded by the services in AU grades is seemingly high, only a small number are choice. … [Read more...]
1842-O $10 Gold Liberty
The 1842-O is an issue which appears to have seen wide commercial use as most are found in well-circulated grades. This is an extremely rare date in Uncirculated with around four or five known. and even properly graded AU55 and AU58 examples are very rare. In fact, I believe that this is among the harder No Motto issues from this mint to find natural color and choice surfaces. … [Read more...]
