1857 Proof Liberty Head Eagle

Coin Details

Auction Record

$396,000 PR66 05-31-1999 Goldberg Auctioneers

Description

The 1857 Proof Liberty Head Eagle is a proof Gold Eagle struck at the Philadelphia Mint, part of the Liberty Head Eagles 1838-1907 series. With a mintage of 2, this is an extremely rare issue — ranked 0th of 3 mint variants by mintage, with 0% of production. 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. Struck during the California Gold Rush era, when vast quantities of western gold transformed the American economy and led to new denominations. As a proof issue, this coin was struck multiple times on specially prepared polished planchets using polished dies, producing mirror-like fields and frosted design elements prized by collectors. Struck at the original U.S. Mint facility, in continuous operation since 1792. Auction record: $396,000 PR66 05-31-1999 Goldberg Auctioneers. Struck in 90% gold, 10% copper, weighing 16.7 grams, 26.8 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Cataloged as PCGS #8793.