1857-S $10 Liberty Head Eagle – NGC AU53

Struck at the San Francisco Mint during the final years of the California Gold Rush, the 1857-S Liberty Head Eagle stands as a tangible reminder of the era when vast quantities of gold poured from the Sierra Nevada into U.S. coinage. The San Francisco Mint, only a few years old at the time, served as the West Coast hub for transforming placer gold into coins that fueled national commerce and expansion. Survivors from this issue are treasured for their frontier origins and connection to one of the most storied chapters in American history.

Designed by Christian Gobrecht, the Liberty Head motif remains one of the most elegant of all U.S. gold designs. Liberty faces left, her hair tied in a bun beneath a coronet inscribed LIBERTY, surrounded by thirteen stars symbolizing the original colonies. On the reverse, a bold eagle grips arrows and an olive branch, framed by the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the denomination TEN D. The “S” mintmark below the eagle identifies this as a product of the newly established San Francisco facility—its coinage struck from freshly mined California gold.

This example, graded AU53 by NGC, exhibits warm honey-gold color with attractive luster still visible in the protected areas. The strike is strong overall, showing good feather and hair definition, while the surfaces are free from major abrasions. With a mintage of just 26,000 pieces, the 1857-S $10 Eagle is among the scarcer pre-Civil War issues of the denomination, and examples in About Uncirculated preservation are particularly elusive. The present coin displays exceptional originality and eye appeal for its grade.

For collectors seeking a historic Gold Rush–era artifact with enduring investment appeal, this 1857-S Liberty Head Eagle is a standout example. It embodies the bold artistry and pioneering spirit of early San Francisco Mint coinage—a genuine piece of American frontier gold.

The coin pictured is the exact coin you will receive.