As an interesting project, I thought it would be interesting to focus on the greatest coins from the various branch mints. As the first segment in what will be a multi-part series, I’m going to focus on the 12 greatest coins from the New Orleans mint.

Please note that this is totally my opinion and if a seemingly “great” coin didn’t make this list, it shouldn’t lessen the significance of said coin. Obviously, these are going to be among the more expensive coins from this mint, but I’m not using high-value as the sole arbiter. I’m more focused on rarity, appearance, and the “coolness” factor of each issue.

I tried to include as many different denominations as possible on this list, and as a result a few coins were relegated to the Honorable Mention category. I also only included coins which are in the numismatic mainstream (with one exception, see below), and skipped coins in museums or which are shrouded in controversy.

1. 1840-O $2.50, PCGS/CAC MS65

Only a small number of New Orleans quarter eagles graded MS65 or finer have been graded by PCGS, and even fewer of these have also been approved by CAC. This specific coin is interesting because it is a scarcer date and a popular first-year-of-issue.

I handled this coin around three or four years ago and sold it to the New England Collection. If you own a copy of the third edition of my book on New Orleans gold, you can see images of this coin on Page 51. It’s well struck and totally original, and I regard it as one of the single most important quarter eagles from New Orleans.

PROVENANCE: New England Collection, ex Bass/Eliasberg.

2. 1845-O $2.50, PCGS MS63

I sold this coin to a private collector in 1999 and it stayed off the market since. I regard it as the single best New Orleans quarter eagle in existence. If it came up for auction, it would likely break the current price record for a New Orleans quarter eagle ($132,000; set by the Pittman 1846-O). The 1845-O is the single rarest New Orleans quarter eagle, and this is the best of the 4 known in Uncirculated.

PROVENANCE: Brand Collection.

3. 1842-O $5.00, NGC/CAC MS63

The 1842-O is one of the two rarest half eagles from New Orleans. There are just 3 known in Uncirculated; all of which I have sold to the same collector.

This coin is imaged on Page 116 of my New Orleans book, and it is superb for the date and grade with rich orange-gold color over choice, frosty surfaces. It is the finest known by 2 full points (the next best is a single PCGS MS61), and while it is not a widely-known coin or date, I think it is exceptionally important.

PROVENANCE: New England Collection, ex Milas, Eliasberg/Clapp/Earle.

4. Gem Proof 1844-O $5.00, unencapsulated

I stated above that the coins I’d select for this list wouldn’t be out of the numismatic mainstream. This is the one exception.

I was shown this coin many years ago by the late Dallas dealer Mike Brownlee, and I featured it on the cover of the first edition of my book. It’s an incredible coin which is from the estate of John Murrell and which has a similar provenance to the Proof 1844-O eagle which is also on this list. It has been off the market since 1959, and if and when it ever comes available, it is likely to sell for a seven figure price.

PROVENANCE: Murrell Collection, ex Woodin, Parmelee.

5. 1847-O $5.00, PCGS/CAC MS61

This one is a little controversial and I’d be surprised if more than a small number of specialized collectors agree with me on putting this 1847-O in such rarefied company.

The 1847-O is the rarest New Orleans half eagle and this specific coin is the only unequivocally Uncirculated example known. I sold it to the New England Collection in 2019, and it’s a coin which I had wanted to own since I first saw it back in the 1990s. I can easily see replacing this with one of the other two New Orleans half eagles in the honorable mention list, but I consider it to be an extremely important coin.

PROVENANCE: New England Collection, ex Milas.

6. 1909-O $5.00, PCGS MS66

There are just three or four true Gem examples of this one-year issue and this specific coin, with a pedigree dating back to 1909, has long been regarded as the finest.

I purchased this coin at auction in 2014 for $646,250 and it had earlier sold for a record $690,000 in 2011. It sold for $30,800 in the 1982 Eliasberg auction. It is the only 1909-O half eagle graded MS66 by PCGS; two have been graded MS65. While clearly overrated in circulated grades and even in the lowest Uncirculated grades, this issue is a major rarity in Gem.

PROVENANCE: New England Collection, ex Eliasberg/Clapp/Mitchelson.

7. 1844-O $10.00, NGC PR66 CAM

At some time in the 1980s, the two Proof 1844-O gold pieces were separated and the Eagle was sold to collector Rod Sweet.

As with the 1844-O Proof half eagle, this coin is an absolutely unquestionable Proof, and it is a Gem which I regard as one of the two most valuable New Orleans gold coins in existence (along with the Specimen 1856-O $20; see below). If available today, the Proof 1844-O eagle would likely bring in excess of $2 million.

PROVENANCE: Sweet Collection, ex Woodin, Parmelee.

8. 1848-O $10.00, PCGS/CAC MS66

This is the single finest No Motto eagle from New Orleans and it is also among the two or three finest examples of this design type.

I recently purchased this coin for $240,000 and it brought $154,000 unencapsulated when it first came available in 1994. It is an absolutely incredible coin and one that its last owner, Brent Pogue, had obtained in 2003.

It is interesting to note that as a date, the 1848-O is among the more available No Motto eagles from this mint but, obviously, none compare with this single example from an aesthetic perspective.

PROVENANCE: New England Collection, ex Pogue, James Stack.

9. 1859-O $10.00, NGC MS62/SS REPUBLIC

The 1859-O is the rarest No Motto eagle from New Orleans and this coin, salvaged from the S.S. Republic, is the only piece known in Uncirculated. It is among the single best No Motto eagles from this mint.

I had never seen this coin until it was displayed in February 2020 (at he last coin show I’ll seemingly attend for a looooong time) and I was readily impressed. Unlike many of the coins from this shipwreck, it wasn’t over-conserved, and it has far more luster present than on any 1859-O eagle I’ve ever seen.

PROVENANCE: Tyrant Collection, ex S.S. Republic

10. 1899-O $10.00 PCGS/CAC MS68+

From a condition standpoint, this is the single finest gold coin from New Orleans and I have never seen another Liberty Head eagle of any date or mint which compares. It was obtained from the New Orleans Mint at the time of issue by John Clapp, Sr.

This coin has not sold at auction since 1988 when it brought $39,600, and in 1982 it realized $24,200 at the Eliasberg sale.

What’s this coin worth? In the Heritage 2/2018 auction, I bought a superb PQ 1897-O eagle graded MS67 by PCGS for $264,000. This 1899-O is clearly finer, and I’m thinking it’s at least a $350,000-450,000+ coin.

PROVENANCE: Simpson Collection, ex Eliasberg/Clapp.

11. 1853-O $20.00 PCGS/CAC MS63

This is the single finest New Orleans double eagle known from the standpoint of grade, and Bill Crawford absolutely stole this coin when he purchased it for $28,800 in a May 1991 Stack’s sale.

While not very well known outside of the specialist community (likely because it was hidden in the ultra-below-the-radar Crawford Collection for nearly three decades), I consider this to be among the very best Type One double eagles in existence.

PROVENANCE: DL Hansen Collection, ex Crawford.

12. 1856-O $20.00/PCGS SP63

Some experts regard this coin to be a branch mint Proof. I do not, but it is clearly something special; a Presentation Piece or a Special Strike.

The coin was in an old New Orleans family’s holdings and it first entered the market in 1979. It last sold at auction in 2009 where it brought $1,437,500.

This is clearly the single most valuable New Orleans double eagle, and it is likely the first or second most valuable gold coin from this mint with only the Proof 1844-O eagle (see above) offering it competition.

PROVENANCE: Private Collection.

THE HONORABLE MENTION LIST

The following dozen coins form my honorable mention list of great New Orleans gold coins. Many of these could just as easily qualified for the primary dozen.

1839-O $2.50 PCGS MS65. Hansen/Pogue.
1846-O $2.50 PCGS MS65. Hansen/Stellar/Pittman.
1843-O Sm. Letters $5.00 PCGS MS65. New England Collection.
1844-O $5.00 PCGS MS65. Bass Collection.
1856-O $5.00 PCGS MS63PL. SSCA #2
1909-O $5.00 PCGS/CAC MS65. Legend customer.
1841-O $10.00 PCGS/CAC AU58. New England Collection, ex Eliasberg.
1842-O $10.00 PCGS/CAC MS63. New England Collection, ex Admiral.
1845-O $10.00 PCGS/CAC MS64. New England Collection, ex Bass/Eliasberg
1850-O $10.00 PCGS/CAC MS65. New England Collection, ex Eliasberg
1904-O $10.00 PCGS SP68.
1879-O $20.00 PCGS MS62. Hansen/Crawford, ex Dallas Bank Collection.

I’m curious to know what your choices are for the dozen finest New Orleans gold coins. Please feel free to make comments in the space provided below.

Are you interested in owning coins of this quality? If the answer is yes, I would be happy to work with you. Please contact me via email at dwn@ont.com or by calling me at (214) 675-9897.