1879 Liberty Head $10 Gold Eagle

1879 Liberty Head $10 gold eagles are challenging coins for collectors to track down, with relatively few existing today. These classic, beautiful old U.S. gold coins were designed by United States Mint Chief Engraver Christian Gobrecht, who oversaw the production of several new coin designs during his tenure, including Seated Liberty coinage. Seated Liberty coins were generally struck from the late 1830s through early 1890s and are considered a classic favorite with numismatists nowadays.

1879 $10 gold eagle coins contain 0.4806 ounces of gold, but they are much more significant as numismatic treasures than simply bullion coins. Several different $10 gold coin issues were made in 1879 when accounting for the various date and mintmark combinations. Here’s a look at the values and mintages of the 1879 Liberty Head gold eagle $10 coin:

• 1879, 384,770 minted; $1,508

• 1879/78 overdate, mintage included above; $1,574

• 1879-CC, 1,762; $15,000

• 1879-O, 1,500; $10,000

• 1879-S, 224,000; $1,508

• 1879 proof; $83,000

*Values are for coins grading Very Fine 20 unless otherwise stated.

The mintage figures above are substantially higher than the number of existing specimens, especially in the situation of the 1879 Carson City (CC) mint coin. Therefore, 1879 $10 eagle gold coins and all other pre-1933 U.S. gold coins should be considered quite scarce, and collectors are best advised to buy only certified specimens of these coins. For those who want to buy “raw,” or unslabbed, 1879 $10 gold eagle coins, their best bet is to purchase those pieces only from trusted coin dealers.