1867 Eagle Patterns

About This Coin

Struck at the Philadelphia Mint during the second year of the Reconstruction Era pattern program, these 1867 eagle ($10 gold) pieces continued exploring alternative designs for the flagship gold denomination. The eagle occupied a unique position in 1867: while remaining the standard of value for international gold trade, it had been absent from domestic circulation since 1861 when wartime hoarding drove gold coins into bank vaults. This paradox of designing coins that could not circulate domestically did not diminish the Mint's commitment to design excellence, as the eagle's role in foreign trade demanded artistic distinction. The obverse features experimental post-war designs, while the reverse tested alternative compositions. A notable auction result of $4.4K in PR62 at Bowers & Merena places these among the more accessible Reconstruction entries. The 1867 eagle patterns document one year in the sustained effort to reimagine American gold coinage, an effort that would not achieve fullest artistic expression until Saint-Gaudens transformed the denomination in 1907, forty years after these mid-century patterns explored similar ambitions.