1846 $10.00 NGC AU55

The pre- Civil War Liberty Head eagles from the Philadelphia mint are led by the 1844 and the 1858. The next scarcest issue is the 1846 which is a date that is not as well known as the these two. It is likely that not more than 100 are known and this date is usually seen very well worn with VF and EF coins being typical. The present example shows nice deep natural green-gold color with some fiery orange and reddish undertones. As always, the surfaces are abraded; this is an issue that seems to have been well-circulated and roughly handled. There are no overtly detracting marks and the eye appeal is far above-average for the date. There have been just eight AU55's sold at auction since 2000 and my best guess is that this represents just three or four distinct pieces. The 1846 eagle is just about unavailable finer than this.