1854-O Eagle - 1854-O $10 Large Date, NGC AU53 CAC. This pleasing, lustrous, Large Date 1854-O Eagle is the scarcer variety between the Large and Small Dates. The coin is original with light wear on the high points and a few surface abrasion marks, in keeping with the grade. The CAC sticker indicates that it is a premium quality piece and fully merits the grade assigned. In fact because of its excellent eye-appeal, it has the look of an AU55 piece. The strike is variable as it is on many pre-Civil War branch mint pieces with strength seen on some of the obverse stars but central flatness on the reverse motifs. The dentils are strong on both sides.

The Large Date variety was created when the diesinker used a date punch for the silver dollar in error. The date is so large that it fills the area and is the largest date punch of any New Orleans Mint eagle.

Christian Gobrecht designed the Liberty Head eagle. It shows Liberty facing left in profile wearing a LIBERTY inscribed coronet with her hair tied in the back in beads. Two long curls hang down her neck, one in the back and the other on the side. She is surrounded with thirteen six-pointed stars. The date is below the truncation, which shows no drapery. The motif is taken from a Benjamin West painting of Venus. It was also used with modifications for the Large Cents of 1839.

The reverse shows a heraldic eagle with outstretched wing looking to the left. On its chest is the Union shield. In its talons it holds the olive branch and arrows. The error in the previous issue, Scots eagle held the arrows and the olive branches in the wrong talons, is corrected. Except for being interrupted by the tips of the eagles wings UNITED STATES OF AMERICA surrounds the reverse, separated from the denomination TEN D. by dots. Dentils are near the edge on both sides of the coin, and the edge is reeded. The mintmark is above the denomination between the E and N.

In its population report, as of July 2012, CAC has confirmed 3 Large Dates from 1854-O with 7 better.