1907-S

The 1907-S closes a chapter that opened more than half a century earlier: it is the final San Francisco strike of the Liberty Head eagle, ending a continuous run that began in 1854 when the western mint produced its first ten-dollar gold pieces for Gold Rush commerce. By the time these 210,500 coins came off the press, the Mint Bureau was already preparing dies for Augustus Saint-Gaudens' Indian Head replacement, and Christian Gobrecht's classical Liberty design quietly retired after a working life that had outlasted nearly every other denomination of its era.

Doug Winter ranks the 1907-S as the scarcest of the three 1907 Liberty eagles in any year-set context, though circulated examples through About Uncirculated remain readily attainable for collectors who do not chase mint state. The story changes sharply above MS-62: gem material is genuinely rare, with the highest auction result on record being a Stack's Bowers sale of an MS66+ example that crossed the block at $96,000 in October 2018. Authentication is generally straightforward on a Regular-classification issue of this size, but collectors should still confirm the 16.718 gram weight standard and inspect the S mintmark on the reverse below the eagle for the soft, slightly bulbous serifs typical of late San Francisco Liberty eagle dies, since added-mintmark fakes occasionally surface among 1907 Philadelphia hosts.

For type and date collectors, the 1907-S works well as a final-year placeholder that carries genuine historical weight without commanding key-date money in circulated grades. Its appeal sharpens when paired with a 1907 Philadelphia and a 1907-D to complete the full closing-year trio, or as a bookend alongside an early Saint-Gaudens Indian eagle to mark the design transition. Choice AU and lower mint state pieces trade closer to bullion-plus-modest-premium levels, while certified MS63 and higher coins begin to reflect the genuine condition rarity that defines the issue. For broader context, see the Liberty Head Eagle series history.