MINTAGE: 71,000

In terms of the total number known, the 1853-O is much scarcer than the 1850-O, 1851-O, and 1852-O. It is not as rare as the 1850-O in higher grades (in this case AU55 and above), but it is far rarer than the 1851-O and 1852-O.

STRIKE: This issue is not struck as well as the 1851-O and the 1852-O. The curls around the face and on the back of the neck are often weak. The top of the head and the bun are usually weak as well. The stars are well detailed and some will show full radial lines. On the reverse, the tail feathers and the left side of the banner are often softly impressed. The mintmark is often not fully formed and will show weakness at the top. On early strikes, the stars at the left obverse have noticeable doubling.

SURFACES: Most 1853-O double eagles are noticeably abraded. These marks are often deep and are located in obvious places, such as the left obverse field or on the cheek of Liberty. A small number have been exposed to seawater or have been buried and have grainy surfaces as a result. Some have small mint-made planchet chips or copper spotting. Locating a piece with nice surfaces is very challenging.

LUSTER: The quality of luster seen on this issue is different than on most New Orleans double eagles from this period. Higher grade pieces tend to be either frosty or semi-reflective. A very small number exist which are fully prooflike and these are in demand. The typical 1853-O has impaired luster from having been cleaned or dipped.

COLORATION: The natural coloration is a rich green-gold hue. There are a small number which have really nice coloration and these are worth a considerable premium over the typical “washed out” coins that are offered most of the time.

EYE APPEAL: This issue has below-average eye appeal. Most 1853-O double eagles are not well struck and are very heavily abraded with impaired luster. When the first edition of this book was published (2002) I used to see the occasional very nice coin, but nearly two decades later, I almost never see these high quality examples. A CAC quality 1853-O is worth at least a 25-50% premium over a typical example.

INTERESTING VARIETIES: There are two or three minor positional varieties but nothing significant for the collector.

PROOFS: No Proofs were struck this year. A single example is known which has been designated as a "specimen" by NGC.

HOARDS: There were five examples in the S.S. Republic and three in the S.S. Central America. A few are known with granular surfaces as a result of exposure to seawater. It is not known what the source of these coins is. There have been a small number of nice AU examples from the Fairmont Hoard. The single best was a PCGS/CAC AU58 which sold for $36,000 as Stacks Bowers 2022 ANA: 3401.

BUYING TIPS: The 1853-O has become an expensive coin in higher grades, so caution should be exercised when making a purchase. Look for a coin with as much original color and as few marks as possible.

AUCTION RECORD: The current record price at auction for this date is $352,500 for a coin graded "SP61" by NGC and sold as Lot 10269 in Stack’s Bowers 2015 ANA.

FINEST KNOWN: The finest known 1853-O is, by a large margin, the PCGS/CAC MS63 in the Hansen-Crawford Collection. It was purchased as Stack’s 5/1991: 1674, where it sold for $28,600. An NGC MS62 (pedigree unknown to me) is likely the second finest, but it likely doesn’t remotely compare to the remarkable Crawford example.

RARITY:

TOTAL KNOWN: 350-450

BY GRADE:

• Very Fine: 50-75

• Extremely Fine: 150-195

• About Uncirculated: 146-175

• Uncirculated: 4-5

PCGS Number: 8910

POPULATION FIGURES: As of the end of 20203, PCGS has graded single examples in MS60, MS61, and MS63 for a total of 3 in Uncirculated. NGC has graded four in MS61 and three in MS62 for a total of 7 in Uncirculated.

CAC has approved one coin in Uncirculated (and just four in AU58).

PERFORMANCE SINCE 2002: In the current market, a choice EF example of this date (equivalent to an EF45) sells for $6,000-8,000. In 2002, this same coin would have sold for $1,500-2,000. In the current market a choice AU example (equivalent to an AU55) would sell for $15,000-18,000+. In 2002, the same coin would have sold for $3,500-4,500. This date was not recognized for its true scarcity a decade ago and it has performed well since then.

COMMENTS: The PCGS and NGC population figures for AU55 and AU58 1853-O double eagles are well inflated due to resubmissions. Since the first edition of this book was published in 2002, I have not seen more than a handful of AU55s and AU58s which I felt were properly graded.

LAST UPDATED: 12/26/2023