1861 Gold Eagle NGC AU53 - 1861 $10 NGC AU53. Civil War dated gold coins are interesting from a historic and numismatic perspective. This 1861 Eagle is an example. The coin shows subdued mint luster within its devices. The surfaces, which show a greenish-gold, are original and virtually mark-free. The strike is above average with full details on most of the stars, Libertys hair, the eagles neck and shield, and the area to the lower left of the shield. Garrett and Guth cite Breen in claiming that many of these coins were struck from melted down Liberty Head gold dollars.

Between 1805, when President Thomas Jefferson ordered mintage of gold eagles stopped, and 1837 no gold eagles were made. Coinage was of this denomination was resumed with Christian Gobrechts Liberty Head eagle. The size, weight, and fineness were reduced so that the coins were not intrinsically worth more than their denominated value.

The Liberty Head eagle 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.

In its population report, NGC shows 76 1861 eagles certified at the AU53 grade level.