1891-CC $10 Liberty Head
PCGS MS62
Mintage: 103,732
PCGS Population: 479
PCGS Population Higher: 120

The $10 Eagle was minted from 1795 – 1933. Originally designed by Robert Scot, the $10 Eagle saw three major changes in its lifetime. The initial design has the head of Liberty facing right wearing a stylized freedman’s cap, which is commonly known as the CAPPED BUST. The second, designed by Christian Gobrecht, has the head of Liberty facing left and wearing a crown with the word “LIBERTY” inscribed. This one is known as the LIBERTY HEAD. The third, designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, has the head of Liberty still facing left, but her headpiece has been replaced with a native American ceremonial headdress with the word “LIBERTY” still inscribed. This one is referred to as the INDIAN HEAD.

The $10 Liberty Head was minted from 1838 – 1907. Designed by Christian Gobrecht, the $10 Liberty Head was a “cleaned up” version of Scot’s Capped Bust. This design was wildly popular and ran for an astonishing 68 years. In all that time, the coin only saw one notable change. The change came in 1866 with the addition of the banner “IN GOD WE TRUST” on the reverse above the eagle.

While the $10 Liberty Head was minted at a handful of US Mints throughout the States, one of the most popular for collectors today is the coins from the Carson City Mint, located in Nevada. The Carson City Mint was constructed from 1866 - 1869 and started producing coins in early 1870. It ran until 1885 and was shut down for political reasons under a Democratic administration but reopened in late 1889. The mint started producing coins again until the spring of 1893 when the mint ceased operations for good.

The only gold coins minted at Carson City were Half Eagles ($5), Eagles ($10), and Double Eagles ($20). Out of the 299,778 $10 Eagles that were produced at the Carson City Mint from 1870 – 1893, the 1891-CC stands out with its impressive 103,732 mintage number. This number actually accounts for over one third the entire production run. To show how impressive that number truly is, the next closest mintage is the 1892-CC with a whopping 40,000 minted. While over 100K isn’t a very large mintage number for coins, it does make this $10 Eagle the most common date from this mint.

I picked this coin up sometime in 2019 from my buddy Chris who owns a coin shop up in Long Island. I met Chris through Instagram, and since we both have similar backgrounds and interest in coins, we became friends. He posted this coin on his page and I instantly had to have it. I had some time off so I took a trip to see his shop and while I was there, I scooped it up. If I remember correctly this is the most over spot I ever paid for gold. At the time, I was focused on gold bullion and I wasn’t used to paying way over the spot price.

For only being graded at MS62, this coin features a lustrous sheen on the obverse as well as the reverse. The “LIBERTY” on her crown is clearly stamped with little to no imperfections. The 1891 has beautiful lines and has been well preserved throughout the years. On the reverse, the eagle is proudly displayed in almost perfect condition. The motto “IN GOD WE TRUST” can be clearly read and all letters are intact.

This particular example of the coin may be the 1891-CC FS-501 variety due what looks like, under the macro shot, as a repunched mintmark. I guess the only real way to tell would be to send the coin back in and have PCGS look at it once again. I'll post an example below and you tell me what you think...

My Coin

Example from the PCGS website

I do enjoy doing the research on these coins and I will do my best to post often.

Till next time…

Ian

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