RARE PCGS AU58 1856-O $10

The 1856-O is among the scarcer No Motto eagles produced at the New Orleans mint. It is not often seen finer than the lower AU grades, and properly graded AU58 examples are legitimately rare. This date is exceedingly rare in Uncirculated with just two or three known, and one of these grading higher than MS60.

This is an uncommonly nice piece with rich green-gold color contrasted by deep reddish-orange hues at the borders; the reverse has a bit more extensive color. The strike is bold with no weakness seen at the centers; the radial lines in most of the stars are weak as-made. There is a decent amount of luster on either side and the surfaces are very clean with a near-absence of the detracting marks which plague this issue. I haven’t handled many 1856-O eagles which are as nice as this coin, and the two that I can think of right off the bat are off the market in tightly-held collections.

Just a single PCGS AU58 1856-O eagle has sold at auction since 2000. It most recently was offered as Heritage 2/2020: 3237 where I purchased it for $18,600, and it was earlier offered as Heritage 6/2017: 3845 where I purchased it for $12,925. In November 2016, I paid $47,000 for an NGC/CAC MS60.

This coin is clearly in the Condition Census for the date and I regard it as a highlight of the Novato Collection.

From the Novato Collection of New Orleans Eagles

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