1873-S Eagle - 1873-S $10 NGC AU50. This colorful, underrated, Western branch mint 1873-S Eagle (1873-S Type 2 Eagle) has an above average strike and traces of mint luster within its devices. Full details are seen on most of the stars, the eagles neck, and the area to the lower left of the shield. Just a trace of wear on the high points of Libertys hair and the wing tips keep this coin from a higher grade. The surfaces are original with shades of rose-gold, yellow, and orange. The coin has some light abrasion marks that are acceptable for the grade assigned.

In 1804 President Thomas Jefferson stopped the mintage of eagles. Because its melt value exceeded its monetary value, there was excessive melting of theses coins. Over thirty years later, the standard weight and fineness for gold coins was changed. Eagles went from 270 grains to 258 and fineness from 91.67% to 90% gold. In 1838 Mint Director Patterson told Engraver Gobrecht to prepare new dies for the eagle. The Type 2 Liberty Head Eagle, Motto Added was created when the motto IN GOD WE TRUST was added to a banner designed by James B. Longacre above the eagle in 1866. The change was made in response to pressure organized by the Reverend M.R. Watkinson. The motto remained until 1907, when President Theodore Roosevelt told Augustus Saint-Gaudens to omit it on the newly designed eagle.

Gobrecht became the third Chief Engraver at the United States Mint. He was born in Hanover, Pennsylvania in 1785. His father was a German immigrant, and his mother traced her ancestry to the early settlers of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Gobrecht married Mary Hewes in 1818. One of his early positions was as an engraver of clocks in Baltimore. Later he went to Philadelphia where he became a banknote engraver. He invented a machine that allowed one to convert a three-dimensional medal into an illustration.

In 1826 Gobrecht did his first work for the Mint as an assistant to William Kneass. After Kneass suffered a debilitating stroke, Gobrecht did all the die and pattern work for the Mint. He became Chief Engraver in 1840 and served until his death in 1844. He was famous for his Liberty Seated motif which was used for all denominations of silver coinage including the half-dime, dime, quarter dollar, half dollar and silver dollar. He also designed the Liberty Head gold eagle, a motif that was also used on the half-cent, the cent, the gold quarter eagle, and the gold half eagle. 

About 90 1873-S eagles are known in all grades. Only 1 has been graded Mint State. In its population report, NGC shows 12 in AU50 condition with 29 better. At PCGS there are 5 in AU50 with 9 better.