1892-O $10 MS62+ Certification #35776908, PCGS #8723

cac Ex: H.B. Jacobson; Fairmont (S-B: ANA 8/18)

Doug Winter

The 1892-O is among the more common New Orleans eagles. Its total population appears to have doubled since the first edition of my book. I am aware of at least one significant hoard entering the market around 1994-95 with dozens of Uncirculated pieces coming from this source. Since then, at least one other substantial group has been located. This date is virtually non-existent below AU and it appears that most examples never circulated.

The 1892-O eagle is a common issue in grades up to and including MS61. It is moderately scarce in MS62 and moderately abraded examples at the high end of this grade are actually scarce. I have not personally seen one better than MS62 although PCGS has graded [several in] MS63.

STRIKE: The obverse often shows some weakness on the high spots as well as on a number of the stars. The reverse may be slightly weak on the eagle’s neck.

SURFACES: The surfaces are almost always seen with extensive abrasions on the obverse and the reverse.

LUSTER: The luster is usually frosty with a slightly subdued, granular texture. On many coins, the luster is impaired as a result of numerous clusters of abrasions in the fields.

COLORATION: The coloration most often seen is a rich orange-gold. While a number have been dipped in recent years, it is still fairly easy to find a coin with pleasing natural hues.

EYE APPEAL: Most 1892-O eagles are lustrous and many have good color but nearly every known example is very heavily abraded. Some have a distinctive “inner ring” of color on the obverse. I have never seen one that stood out as being decidedly better than the hundreds of pieces known in the MS60 to MS62 range.

DIE CHARACTERISTICS: There are no prominent die characteristics noted on the obverse or the reverse.

MAJOR VARIETIES: There is a single variety known.

Variety One: The date is slightly low in the field and appears to be closer to the denticles than to the truncation. The mintmark is small and squat with a shape not seen on any other earlier-dated New Orleans eagles of this type. It is far from the arrow feather and placed over the space between the E and the N in TEN.