1852-O

The 1852-O eagle is the twelfth-year New Orleans issue in the Liberty Head ten-dollar series, and the first NO eagle of the decade to fall back to a low-mintage profile after the heavy 263,000-piece run of 1851-O. Just 18,000 coins were struck, the second-lowest output for any O-Mint eagle through this point, a sharp contraction that reset the issue into key-date territory the moment it left the press. PCGS CoinFacts ranks the 1852-O alongside the 1849-O, 1856-O, and 1857-O as one of the genuinely tough No Motto New Orleans eagles, with roughly 75 to 150 examples believed to survive across all grades. Doug Winter has flagged the date as undervalued relative to its absolute and condition rarity, noting that CAC-quality AUs are far thinner on the ground than headline NGC and PCGS population figures suggest.

Authentic 1852-O eagles weigh 16.718 grams in 90% gold, run a specific gravity near 17.2, and carry a clean, deeply punched O mintmark on the reverse below the eagle. Two die varieties are catalogued: Variety One places the mintmark high, nearly touching the arrow feather over the far left side of the N in TEN; Variety Two seats it lower and further left, over the right side of the E. Strike is typical New Orleans Type 1, softness across the eagle's neck and the upper hair curls is normal, and original surfaces show green-gold to orange-gold toning over moderately reflective fields. Mint-State survival is exceptional: Winter accounts for no more than two Uncirculated examples, making any AU58 or finer coin a genuine condition rarity.

For tier-aware collectors, the 1852-O occupies the rung most often pursued after the 1841-O and 1859-O are out of reach, a date that delivers real NO No Motto rarity without six-figure pricing. A PCGS AU58 brought $20,400 at its most recent public auction appearance, the first sale at that grade since early 2014, while AU55 coins with cosmetic issues have traded closer to the $7,800 level. The spread underlines how much eye appeal moves the needle here: original, problem-free pieces outpace the price guides, while cleaned or streaky examples lag well behind. For the broader context on Type 1 branch-mint production and the New Orleans No Motto run, see the Liberty Head Eagle series history.