U.S. Heritage Coins

The Ten Dollar Gold made its first appearance in 1775 and was to be America’s face to the world. It was symbolically designated the “eagle” after the United States national bird. The ten dollar gold coin never quite made the worldly impact designers had hoped, as the five dollar gold coin was circulated much more frequently and became the denomination of choice for international trade. Most likely this was due to the half eagle being much closer in size to the widely distributed British sovereign. The obverse of the ten dollar gold piece featured Miss Liberty sporting a turban cap in a style that was a popular among women of that era. She is facing right with the word LIBERTY engraved above her forehead with the date listed below her. Originally there were 15 stars on the 1795 10 dollar gold coin, but after Tennessee became a state in 1796, the $10 gold coin had to be remodeled to include the sixteenth star. The reverse of the ten dollar gold displayed an eagle with its wings spread out, holding a wreath in its beak. The eagle is perched on a palm branch and the words UNITED STATES OF AMERICA surrounds it. There was some dissatisfaction with the first eagle and many people thought that the eagle looked and portrayed a poor image of the United States. Because of this, a more powerful emblem was chosen and the Great Seal of the United States became the new image to be displayed on the ten dollar coins reverse. The new design showed the eagle grasping 13 arrows and an olive branch in its talons while holding a scroll with the words E PLURIBUS UNUM in its beak. Thirteen stars are above the eagle’s head and the words UNITED STATES OF AMERICA encompasses almost the entire circumference of the coin. Much of the gold coin production did not get out because spectators got to it before it ever made it into circulation. In 1804, President Thomas Jefferson ordered cessation of eagle production while production of smaller gold coins also received a reduction. The ten dollar gold coin was not minted again until 1838. All of these early ten dollar gold eagles are rare. Between 1795 and 1804 only 132,592 were minted, most of which perished before they could reach circulation due to being melted down.