This issue saw heavy circulation in general and most examples exhibit weaker definition across the obverse. High grade coins display prooflike reflectivity, especially on the reverse, though some may be unnaturally bright from conservation. Originality and eye appeal are especially elusive in example of this mintage. Despite a sharply increased mintage, the 1857-O double eagle remains surprisingly elusive in today's market even for a New Orleans mint coin. Perhaps as few as 200 coins exist in total, most of which are found in VF to EF condition. Just 5 to 7 Mint State coins are thought to survive, the finest being the Kaufman-Bass-Crawford example which is currently graded MS-63 by PCGS.

We wrote the following in our April 2022 Auction Catalog, saying: "The 1857-O and 1858-O are anomalies among New Orleans Mint double eagles from the late 1850s, being the only two issues from that era with mintages in excess of 10,000 coins. For the 1857-O, government records provide a figure of 30,000 pieces struck. This is still a paltry total in an absolute sense, of course, the New Orleans Mint receiving very little gold bullion from California after the San Francisco Mint commenced coinage operations in 1854. Additionally, the Louisiana facility was closed in the early part of 1857 due to repair work to the building.

The 1857-O is in the third rarity tier among New Orleans Mint double eagles, ranking alongside the 1858-O and 1860-O. Examples are elusive in all grades, Douglas Winter (Gold Coins of the New Orleans Mint: 1839-1909, 2020) providing for just 200 to 250 coins extant. Q. David Bowers takes a stricter approach with an estimate of 90 to 150 survivors in his Guide Book of Double Eagle Gold Coins, although that reference was published earlier (2004). Both authors are in agreement that fewer than 10 Mint State coins are extant."

The example to the left was sold by Stack's Bowers Galleries in April 2022 as part of the Fairmont Collection, Hendricks Set, where it realized $114,000.