Designed by: Christian Gobrecht
Issue Dates: 1866-1907
Composition: 90% gold, 10% copper
Diameter: 27 mm
Weight: 16.72 grams (258.02 grains)
Edge: Reeded
Business Strike Mintage: 37,391,767
Production of Eagles, or $10 gold pieces resumed in 1838 after a 34-year hiatus. Selected for the design was Christian Gobrecht’s Liberty Head. This design saw continued use until 1907. The reverse of the coin would witness the only change, when the motto IN GOD WE TRUST was added on a ribbon above the eagle following the Civil War, in 1866.
Collecting Liberty Head Eagles by date and mintmark runs into the same difficulties as the Liberty Half Eagle series – and that is the presence of several extremely tough dates. While the eagles do not have a coin quite as impossible as the 1854-S half eagle, such dates as the 1870-CC, 1875 and the 1883-O will provide a challenge to even the wealthiest numismatists. A complete Mint State set is out of the question, as there are numerous issues unknown in that condition.
