Lot 2159
1839. Large Letters Head of 1838 NGC graded AU Details. Harshly cleaned. Only 25,801 minted. Popular 2-year type coin. The 1838 and 1839 Eagles with the Head of 1838, are a very scarce coins that have survived over a wide range of grades. Extremely Fine and About Uncirculated examples are of almost equal rarity. In Mint State, however, these take on the extremes of rarity.
Christian Gobrecht was Assistant Engraver at the mint at that time, his duties also covering some of those of the Chief Engraver William Kneass who had been incapacitated a stroke. It fell to Gobrecht to redesign the new $10 gold coins, and his designs from 1838 were minimally altered until major changes occurred in 1907 and 1908. It is believed that the artist copied the head of Venus in Benjamin West's painting Omnia Vincit Amor. According to Breen, he slightly changed the headdress "but with the same triple-beaded cord on her bun, and the same coronet (here inscribed LIBERTY)." Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,500
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