1866-S $10 Liberty Motto Gold Eagle NGC AU50+ CAC

Features of the 1866-S $10 Liberty Motto Gold Eagle NGC AU50+ CAC:

• Minted in the year 1866
• US - San Francisco Mint
• AU50+ Graded by NGC (CAC)
• NGC Population: 1

This attractive specimen with original rich golden coloration represents an important opportunity for the advanced Liberty eagle collector. David Akers reports that, “the 1866-S Motto is very rare in any condition.” News from Philadelphia to change the reverse design of the $10 eagle (and other gold coins) was slow to reach the San Francisco mint and therefore 8,500 $10 gold pieces were struck using the old ‘No Motto’ reverse die.

NGC has graded a single piece as AU50+ with 18 finer. In CAC, there is one graded AU50+ with four finer. CAC has only approved seven of the 1866-S Motto $10, making this offering a CAC rarity.

The With Motto is not as well-known as its No Motto counterpart, however it is a rare issue in its own right with less than 80 examples known in all grades (per PCGS). The year 1866 saw the first use of the Motto design on many denominations, making this date especially popular with type collectors.

Only 11,500 With Motto eagles were struck at the San Francisco Mint in 1866. The 1866-S $10 Motto saw considerable use in commerce and today it is a rarity in About Uncirculated. There are none that carry an uncirculated grade from either PCGS or NGC. The finest know at both grading services is AU58.