1866 Liberty Head Eagle
Base
About This Coin
The 1866 Liberty Head Eagle is a United States Gold Eagle from the Liberty Head Eagles 1838-1907 series — 29th of 70 years in the series. In 1866, coins were struck at the Philadelphia and San Francisco Mints with a combined mintage of 23,780. This ranks 13th of 70 years by total mintage, below the series median of 197,849. 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. Motto "IN GOD WE TRUST" added to the reverse, creating a major type distinction. Struck in 90% gold, 10% copper, weighing 16.7 grams, 26.8 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Struck two years after the 1864 key date, the lowest-mintage regular issue in the series. Across its variants, estimated values range from $3.0K to $53K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $138K in PR65 grade at Heritage Auctions. Designed by Christian Gobrecht.
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.
