1883-O $10

Click the image to load the highest resolution version.

Sold on Jul 28, 1994 for:

$10,120.00 Bid Source: Live: Floor bidder

Get one of these:

Share this lot

Track Item Printable Auction Results

Sell One of These

Description

Auction Info

Guides & Info

Description

1883-O XF 45. One of the rarest of all the With Motto eagles. The mintage for this date is a mere 800 pieces. Contrast this with the mintage of the 1883-O dollar (8,725,000 pieces), the only other denomination produced at New Orleans in 1883, and it is easy to see where their attention was focused. The example we offer here is semi-prooflike and has some dirty toning on the reverse. After examining this coin carefully, and comparing it to plates of other known coins, we were surprised to learn that at least two different reverses were used on this date. Normally, one would expect only one die pair to be used on a coin with a mintage of 800 pieces, as a normal die would be expected to produce many more coins than that amount. One of the reverse dies shows the mintmark tilting left, such as it does on the coin offered here. The other reverse shows the mintmark tilting to the right, as on the Akers plate coin. Examples of the "Tilting Left" variety, as we will now describe it, include this coin, the two examples in Stack's January, 1986 sale of the Carter Family collection, and the piece that appeared as Lot 2842 in Superior's 2/92 sale (graded PCGS XF 40). Examples of the "Tilting Right" variety are the Akers plate coin, the Winter plate coin, and the coin that appeared as Lot 779 in Stack's 1/84 sale of the Amon Carter, Jr. collection. The Tilting Left variety appears to be the one with the die break connecting the tops of the letters in UNITED. The example offered here shows an additional die crack which extends from the F in OF, across the right wing, to the rim by the first A in AMERICA. This cracking of the die may have been the reason for the retirement of this particular reverse. Perhaps the second reverse was retired simply because the mint ran out of bullion. This conclusion is highly likely, since no eagles were produced at New Orleans again until 1888. So, bad news for gold variety collectors, you now need TWO 1883-O eagles.

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 2668, PCGS# 8701, GSID# 9501)

Metal: 90% Gold, 10% Copper
Weight: 16.72 grams
AGW: 0.48375oz
Mintage: 800

View Certification Details from PCGS