1851 Liberty Head Double Eagle
Base
About This Coin
The 1851 Liberty Head Double Eagle is a United States Gold Double Eagle from the Liberty Head Double Eagles 1849-1907 series — an early issue, 3rd of 59 years in the series. In 1851, coins were struck at the Philadelphia and New Orleans Mints with a combined mintage of 2.4 million. This ranks 47th of 58 years by total mintage, above the series median of 1.4 million. The obverse features Liberty facing left wearing a coronet inscribed LIBERTY and the reverse displays a heraldic eagle with shield on breast, olive branch and arrows in talons, with a banner reading E PLURIBUS UNUM surrounded by a glory of rays. Strong production from Gold Rush gold. Both Philadelphia and New Orleans struck double eagles. Struck in other, weighing 33.4 grams, 34 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $5.0K to $157K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $408K in MS65+ grade at Heritage Auctions. Designed by James Barton Longacre.
Value Estimates
Values as of May 2026 — range across all strike types, reflecting typical grades (G-4 through MS-63). Coins in lower or exceptional grades may fall outside this range.
