1843 $10.00 NGC AU55

Doubled date variety. The 1843 eagle, like the quarter eagle of this date, is somewhat of an anomaly. Although 75,000+ were struck, the survival rate is low and it is almost never seen above AU55. In fact, I have only handled two in AU58 and none in Uncirculated in my nearly three decades of specializing in this series. This example is one of the few totally original 1843 eagles that I have seen with attractive deep, even green-gold color with some contrasting highlights. There are scattered marks in the fields with the only one(s) of note located around star ten. There are many undervalued condition rarities in the No Motto eagle series and I feel that nice, higher grade 1843's are among the better values from this decade.
CAC has only approved three 1843 eagles in all grades and none higher than AU50.

1881-O $10.00 PCGS EF45

How's this for value: a coin with a mintage of just 8,350, with only two auction records for PCGS 45's since 2000 and with a PCGS population of nine with eight higher for less than $1,500? If that isn't tempting enough, take a look at the image of this coin as it has a great "Euro" look with dark natural and a two-tone appearance.

1877-CC $10.00 PCGS EF45

The 1877-CC is almost as rare as the more highly-touted 1878-CC eagle and it is actually not all that far behind the 1879-CC. I believe that the total known is in the range of 50-60 coins and many of these are in lower grades. The present example is among the more original 1877-CC eagles that I have seen and it is uncommonly choice for the grade with nice color and enough remaining luster to make a strong claim for the AU50 level. A few ticks can be seen in the fields but none are detracting and the overall level of eye appeal is extremely high. I have long believed that this date is highly undervalued and touted it as such as far back as the late 1980's when I wrote the first edition of my book on Carson City gold. In the recent June Long Beach sale, Heritage sold a PCGS Fine-15 example of this date (I graded it VF25) for an amazing $6,325. It hardly seems right that a Choice EF should be worth less than twice as much but that's the current pricing status of the 1877-CC eagle.

CAC has approved two examples of this date in EF45 and none finer. Only two have been approved for the entire issue.

1892-O $10.00 NGC MS62

As with the 1893-O, 1894-O and 1895-O eagles, this is a date that is almost never seen above MS62 due to the fact that the majority of examples that weren't melted were shipped overseas and were extensively abraded as a result. This hand-selected example is from a small hoard of recently found 1892-O eagles and it was the single best coin due to its relative paucity of marks, good luster and nice orange-gold color.

1890-CC $10.00 NGC MS60

A solid coin for the grade and one which, unlike most CC eagles in MS60 holders, is really new. This example has good luster with very rich mint frost clearly seen below light rose and yellow-gold color. The 1890-CC is many times scarcer than the 1891-CC yet it commands less than a 2x premium in the lower Mint State grades. This affordable example is perfect for the new collector who wants a high grade Carson City eagle but who wants to avoid the ubiquitous 1891-CC.

1876-CC $10.00 NGC AU53

In 1876-CC, the Carson City mint produced a total of 4,696 eagles. The survival rate for this issue is a bit higher than it is for the 1875-CC or 1877-CC eagles but there are still well under 100 known in all grades and none of these are higher than AU58. This is a pleasing AU53 example with nice natural reddish and light orange-gold color. The strike is above-average for the issue with less weakness than usual at the centers and uncommonly good detail on the neck of the eagle. There are a few small marks seen in the fields but none are deep or out of keeping with the assigned grade. Since 2000, there have been fourteen APR's for examples of this date graded AU53. These sales range from a low of $10,925 (back in 2000) to a high of $20,125. With AU58's basically unavailable and most AU55's showing a comparable appearance to this piece, I think the present example is perfect for the advanced collector who wants to own an above-average 1876-CC eagle for less than $20,000

1903-O $10.00 PCGS MS63

Only a handful of New Orleans eagles exist in MS63 and higher grades and the 1903-O is one of the most affordable. I used to have to pay over $3,000 to purchase a nice quality PCGS MS63 but premiums for this date have dropped in recent years and I think it is a great value in the mid-2000's. This piece has especially good color with deep, rich natural orange-gold hues atop moderately abraded, very frosty surfaces. A small spot on the reverse, located below the right talon, shows that this piece hasn't been dipped as have so many higher grade 1903-O eagles.

1895-O $10.00 PCGS MS63

With very few exceptions, the New Orleans eagles from the 1890's are all but unknown in grades above MS63. The 1895-O is an interesting issue as it is common in MS60 to MS61 and only marginally scarce in MS62. But it is rare in properly graded MS63 and it remains unknown in grades above this. Unlike the 1897-O and 1899-O, it doesn't appear that any small groups were spared being shipped loose to Europe in bags and, as a result, nearly every known Uncirculated 1895-O eagle has a huge number of abrasions. The present example has remarkably clean surfaces for the issue with just a few minor areas of marks but certainly nothing like the dense marks typical to the issue. The luster is frosty and shimmering while it is overlaid with subtle pleasing light rose and orange-gold hues. The last PCGS MS63 example of this date to sell at auction was Heritage 10/11: 5052 which brought $7,188. That coin, which was approved by CAC, was very nice but it had a few more obverse marks than the present example. I am not typically a fan of condition rarity, but I feel that this is among the top four or five 1895-O eagles that I have seen and it seems like good value to me.

1881-CC $10.00 PCGS MS62 CAC

If you collect high grade, Condition Census quality Carson City eagles, you know that the 1881-CC is essentially unavailable above MS62. I know of at least six different PCGS MS62's (and have handled four of these) of which all are placed in tightly-held collections. This example, which comes from the exact same source as a very similar quality PCGS MS62 I sold at the FUN show to a CC specialist, is bright and very lustrous with nice medium rose shadings over light golden surfaces. The strike is very sharp and there are just a few minor scuffs seen here and there in the obverse fields; the reverse grades MS63 on its own. The last PCGS MS62 with a CAC sticker to sell at auction was Heritage 6/11: 5208 which brought $13,800. Back in June 2004, a PCGS MS62 sold for $16,100 in the Goldberg auction. With the CC gold market poised to be reignited by the upcoming sale of the Battle Born collection, I would suggest that serious collectors take advantage of opportunities such as this 1881-CC eagle while they are still available.