1842 Liberty Head Eagle
Base
About This Coin
The 1842 Liberty Head Eagle is a United States Gold Eagle from the Liberty Head Eagles 1838-1907 series — an early issue, 5th of 70 years in the series. In 1842, coins were struck at the Philadelphia and New Orleans Mints with a combined mintage of 108,909. This ranks 29th of 70 years by total mintage, below the series median of 197,849. The obverse features Liberty facing left wearing a coronet inscribed LIBERTY and the reverse displays a heraldic eagle with shield on breast, olive branch and arrows in talons, with a banner reading E PLURIBUS UNUM. Small and large letter varieties exist at Philadelphia. New Orleans continued eagle production. Struck in 90% gold, 10% copper, weighing 16.7 grams, 26.8 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $2.5K to $363K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $288K in MS63 grade at Heritage Auctions. Designed by Christian Gobrecht.
Value Estimates
Values as of May 2026 — range across all strike types, reflecting typical grades (G-4 through MS-63). Coins in lower or exceptional grades may fall outside this range.
Specifications
Strike Types & Varieties(4)
1842 (O) Liberty Head Eagle
1842 Liberty Head Eagle - Large Date
1842 Liberty Head Eagle - Small Date
1842 Proof Liberty Head Eagle
Other Base Coins in This Series
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