1866 Liberty Head Eagle. Repunched Date. AU-58 (PCGS).
A significant Liberty Head gold rarity offering tremendous eye appeal and superior preservation. Handsome golden-honey color dominates, with tinges of more vivid champagne-pink iridescence intermingled throughout. Flashes of original mint luster are apparent across both sides. The devices remain sharply defined, even at the high points. The date shows dramatic repunching, as seen on all examples of this issue, with the errant digits clearly impressed just to the right of the prominent ones. Beautiful to examine and certainly choice for the assigned grade. The 1866 issue is the first Philadelphia Mint Liberty Head eagle to feature the Motto design type; the addition of IN GOD WE TRUST to the reverse design stemmed from the religious revival that swept through the Union during the Civil War. With just 3,750 coins struck, the 1866 Motto $10 was an absolute rarity upon its inception, and heavy export and melting has taken a heavy toll on this population. The presently offered coin is among the finest of just 75 to 100 survivors (per PCGS CoinFacts ), and it is solidly in the Condition Census for the issue. For the advanced Liberty Head eagle specialists, this offering represents an important opportunity.
PCGS# 8649. NGC ID: 264J.
PCGS Population: 5; 2 finer (MS-61 finest).
From the Fairmont Collection - JBR Set.