1871-S

The 1871-S Liberty Head Eagle is the eighteenth annual issue from the San Francisco branch and stands as one of the smallest With Motto eagle deliveries the western mint produced during the early 1870s. Just 16,500 pieces left the coiner's department that year, a figure dictated less by collector demand than by Treasury priorities that funneled most San Francisco bullion into the heavier double eagle denomination. Population data from PCGS and NGC confirms survivors are concentrated in mid-circulated grades, with virtually nothing recorded above About Uncirculated.

Surviving population is generally cited at 80 to 100 examples across all certified holders, with most pieces falling between Very Fine and Extremely Fine. A recurring die diagnostic, a triangular die crack in the obverse left field at roughly nine o'clock, appears on a meaningful share of known specimens and is a useful attribution marker. Authentication should begin with the standard physical envelope: a struck weight of 16.718 grams (tolerance roughly plus or minus 0.05g on circulated survivors), 27 mm diameter, and a specific gravity reading near 17.2, consistent with the 90 percent gold, 10 percent copper alloy. The tiny S mintmark sits below the eagle on the reverse, and its serif geometry should be examined under magnification for the soft, hand-punched character of the period, sharp mechanical edges or a re-engraved field around the mintmark are red flags pointing to an added-mintmark fabrication from a more common Philadelphia host.

Within the With Motto San Francisco run, the 1871-S sits alongside the 1870-S and 1872-S as one of the most condition-restricted dates of the early reverse-modified series. Auction results track that rarity tier: a Stack's Bowers offering of an NGC Fine-15 example trades in the low four figures, while problem-free Extremely Fine and About Uncirculated coins routinely realize several multiples higher when fresh to market. Original surfaces, undipped luster in the protected areas of the legends and stars, and absence of the rim filing common on 19th-century San Francisco gold all command meaningful premiums. For the date-by-date collector, this is a coin where patience for a properly graded, eye-appealing example pays a long dividend over chasing the first available holder. Additional context on type evolution and branch mint output is available in the Liberty Head Eagle series history.