1860-O $10 AU55 认证号13618182, PCGS号98631

Doug Winter

The 1860-O is still a reasonably scarce date but it is more available in higher grades than when the first edition of this book was published. It is usually seen in the EF40 to AU50 range and it becomes hard to find in properly graded AU55 to AU58. I am aware of at least five or six Mint State pieces but would not be surprised if others exist.

STRIKE: This is a better struck issue then the other New Orleans eagles from this era. The obverse center is generally fairly sharp with only minor weakness seen on the curls around the face. The stars are sharp with some of them having full radial lines and others showing weakness. The reverse is very sharp with strong feathers. The mintmark is sometimes seen with faintness on the right side.

SURFACES: The surfaces often have numerous small clusters of abrasions. These seem to be heavier on the obverse than on the reverse. I have seen three or four 1860-O eagles that had a number of shallow mint-made planchet flakes. An example of this was the Bass IV:678 which had at least four of these in the left obverse field.

LUSTER: This issue is characterized by very good luster. Many pieces are reflective and there are a few 1860-O eagles that are nearly fully prooflike. These coins can be very impressive although they often have a number of abrasions that are accentuated by the mirror-like reflectiveness.

COLORATION: The natural coloration on this date is a medium to deep orange-gold. Some pieces have coppery reddish-gold color.

EYE APPEAL: Many 1860-O eagles have good eye appeal. They are well struck, do not show a great deal of wear and have good color. It has clearly become easier to locate nice examples in the past few years.

DIE CHARACTERISTICS: There are clashmarks seen on the obverse around the portrait and most noticeably on and around the letters in LIBERTY. Some die rust can be seen around the T. Numerous raised die lines can be seen within the vertical lines in the shield.

MAJOR VARIETIES: There is a single variety known:

Variety One: The date is low and slants slightly downwards with the numerals fairly close to the border. The reverse appears to be the same as on the 1858-O and 1859-O eagles with similar die lines in the shield and the same positioning of the mintmark.

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David Akers (1975/88)

This is the final Eagle from the New Orleans Mint until production resumed in 1879. The 1860-O is rare in any condition and most known specimens grade VF or EF. AU examples are very rare and mint state pieces are extremely rare although I have seen two very choice uncirculated examples of this date. Clearly this date is not in the same rarity class as the 1859-O, but it is definitely more rare than the 1842-O, 1844-O, 1853-O, 1854-O and 1858-O and only a little less rare than the 1852-O, 1855-O, 1856-O and 1857-O. In overall rarity (but not condition rarity) it is on par with the 1845-O, 1846-O and 1850-O.