1881 Liberty Head Eagle
Base
About This Coin
The 1881 Liberty Head Eagle is a United States Gold Eagle from the Liberty Head Eagles 1838-1907 series — 44th of 70 years in the series. In 1881, coins were struck at the Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Carson City Mints with a combined mintage of 4.9 million. This represents the highest annual mintage in the entire series, above 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. High mintage year; eagles served a growing economy during the early Gilded Age. Struck in 90% gold, 10% copper, weighing 16.7 grams, 26.8 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $2.5K to $28K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $90K in MS63 grade at Stack's Bowers. 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.
