1850 SMALL DATE LIBERTY HEAD GOLD EAGLE, NGC XF45, SCARCE

Description

1850 Small Date Liberty Head Gold Eagle
NGC graded XF45
NGC/PCGS graded population 289, including resubmissions. (PCGS estimates total survival in all grades to be 137)
Mintage (Combined large and small dates) 291,451
"Encyclopedia Of U.S. Gold Coins 1795-1933" by Garrett and Guth states, "The 1850 eagle can be found with a Large Date or a Small Date, the former being much more common than the latter by a factor of approximately 3 to 1, depending on the data source... The 1850, Small Date eagle is a very scarce and under-appreciated major variety. The Small Date punch was intended for the large cents and half eagles; its use on the eagle was an apparent mistake. Auction appearances of the Large and Small Date varieties have been about equal over the past dozen years, hiding the true rarity of the Small Date. The key is the population reports, which show the Small Date as being several times rarer than the Large Date." A review of current auction data indicates a ratio of Large Date to Small Date of approximately 3 to 1.
Walter Breen in his "Complete Encyclopedia Of U.S. And Colonial Coins" suggests the 1850 Small Date is "Very rare" although a better descriptor would be scarce.
Will ship via USPS Priority Mail Express, signature required.