SCARCE 1850 SMALL DATE $10 IN NGC/CAC AU58

There are two distinct varieties of 1850 eagles: the Small Date and the Large Date. In my experience, the former is around two to three times scarcer. In properly graded AU58, this is a scarcer and very undervalued issue. In comparison, the 1850-O eagle is seen far more often than the 1850 Small Date and is currently valued at a significant premium in all grades. Uncirculated 1850 Small Date eagles are very rare with seven graded MS60 or finer at PCGS but with just one of these—a PCGS MS63 that brought a record-setting $38,400 in the Heritage 2/2018 Admiral Collection sale—finer than MS61.

This is a choice slider example which lacks the typical detrimental abrasions seen on most of the known 1850 Small Date eagles. The color is a rich natural green-gold framed by rings of fiery orange-gold. Some old lines in the left obverse field are not detracting.

Most of the Fairmont examples of this issue were graded AU55 and lower and the best APR comparable for this specific coin is Stack’s Bowers 4/2022: 5241, graded AU58 by PCGS and with CAC approval, that sold for $7,200.

As we mentioned above, this issue seems very underpriced in relation to the 1850-O $10 as the last AU58 with CAC approval for that issue brouhaha a hefty $31,200 as Stack’s Bowers 4/2022: 5242.

CAC has approved four in this grade with just one finer (an MS60).

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