United States 1861 10 dollars
This specimen was lot 1632 in Jean Elsen sale 165 (Brussels, June 2026), where it sold for €1,500 (about US$2,066 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"ÉTATS-UNIS, AV 10 dollars, 1861. Graffiti X au revers. Très Beau. (United States, gold ten dollars of 1861. Graffiti on the reverse, Very Fine.)"
This specimen is one of a type struck without motto at the Philadelphia, 1839-66. Issues are also recorded from San Francisco mint (1854-66) and New Orleans (1841-60). In 1866, the motto "In God We Trust" was added to the reverse. The "no motto" ten dollars is not rare but it circulated more than the later "with motto" type so is harder to find choice. Many dates are unknown in uncirculated condition.
Recorded mintage: 113,164 plus 69 proofs.
Specification: 16.71 g, 0.900 fine gold, .483 troy oz AGW, reeded edge, designed by Christian Gobrecht.
Catalog reference: KM 66.2, Fr-155.
- Alexander, David T., Coin World Comprehensive Catalog & Encyclopedia of United States Coins, Sidney, OH: Amos Press, 1995.
- Breen, Walter H., Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U. S. and Colonial Coins, New York: Doubleday, 1987.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Yeoman, R. S., and Kenneth Bressett (ed.), A Guide Book of United States Coins, 65th Ed., Atlanta, GA: Whitman Publishing, 2011.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 165, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2026.
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