Liberty Head Eagles 1838-1907

About This Series

Spanning seventy years of continuous production, Christian Gobrecht's Liberty Head eagle ($10 gold) became the longest-running gold coin design in American history, witnessing the nation's transformation from an agrarian republic to an industrial world power. Two major subtypes define the series: No Motto (1838-1866), struck before the Civil War prompted the addition of IN GOD WE TRUST, and With Motto (1866-1907), which carried the national maxim on a ribbon above the eagle. Production spread across six mints — Philadelphia, Charlotte (C), Dahlonega (D), New Orleans (O), San Francisco (S), and Carson City (CC) — creating a vast array of date-and-mintmark combinations. Charlotte and Dahlonega issues are particularly sought after as Southern gold, with many dates surviving in populations under 100 specimens. The 1858 Philadelphia issue, with just 2,521 struck, stands as one of the rarest regular-issue eagles. Struck in .900 fine gold (after 1837) at 16.72 grams on a 27mm planchet, Liberty Head eagles served as the foundation of gold-based commerce during the California Gold Rush, the Civil War, and the Gilded Age. Carson City eagles from the 1870s-1890s carry the romance of the Nevada silver frontier. The series was finally replaced in 1907 by Augustus Saint-Gaudens' Indian Head eagle, ending Gobrecht's seven-decade contribution to American gold coinage.

Series Information