1865-S Eagle 865 Inverted 186 - 1865-S $10 865 Inverted 186 PCGS VG08. This Civil War dated, Western branch mint, inverted date eagle is a solid VG8 with all of the letters of LIBERTY showing. All the devices on both sides are clearly outlined, and some detail is seen in Libertys hair, the beads, and the shield. In addition, the surfaces are original, clean, and free of distractions worthy of mention. The coin comes in an OGH (old, green holder), which shows a scuff mark on the lower reverse. This mark is on the holder not the coin.

The first three digits of the date were inadvertently place into the die upside down. The error was corrected by repunching the date correctly. The same error and correction occurred with large cents of 1844, 1851, and the half dime of 1858.

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 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.

When first discovered, the inverted date was thought to be a great rarity, but now sufficient examples have been found to make the coin more available to collectors. In its population report, PCGS show 2 Inverted date 1865-S coins in VG8 with 34 better.