IMPORTANT CONDITION CENSUS PCGS AU58 1849-O EAGLE

In my opinion, the 1849-O is among the very scarcest No Motto New Orleans eagles in properly graded AU58 with an estimate five to seven known. Only three Uncirculated pieces are known, with the two best graded NGC MS61 and PCGS/CAC MS60. These are housed in the Tyrant and New England collections, respectively, which means that they are very tightly held and unlikely to be offered for sale anytime soon.

This example is totally fresh to the market and it is wholesome and natural with unadulterated medium russet and light orange-gold hues atop frosty surfaces. The obverse shows better definition than what is normal for the issue and there are just a few small, unobtrusive scuffs seen in the field. I consider this to be a nice coin for the date and grade and it is the best 1849-O $10 I’ve handled since I purchased the aforementioned PCGS/CAC MS60 for $45,600 as Heritage 2/2020: 3218 for a reasonable $45,600.

The best AU58 example of this date is the PCGS/CAC Hendricks: 5239 coin, which sold for a record-setting $43,200 in the Stacks Bowers 4/2022 auction. That coin was re-offered as Lot 4372 in the Heritage 2024 sale where it broke the all-time price record for the issue at $48,000.

If you are advanced collector of New Orleans eagles, I don’t have to tell you what an important opportunity this 1849-O represents.

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