1850 Eagle $10 Large Date NGC MS60, SS Republic, Broken Shield. Ex-SS Republic (blue tag, box & cert). From the famous shipwreck of the S.S. Republic comes this rare eagle in uncirculated condition. One of just 65 examples of the large date variety that were found aboard the ship, the broken shield variety was represented by a very small number of coins.

With excellent eye-appeal and a date which has been classified as rare in uncirculated condition, the provenance to one of the most famous shipwrecks of American history adds to the intriguing history of this coin. Certified by NGC in a special holder, this coin is accompanied with a certificate of authenticity and information booklet, all packaged nicely in a specially manufactured wooden box.

The S.S. Republic was lost at sea shortly after the American Civil War had ended, in 1865, and carried with it a large amount of gold and silver coinage. The wreckage was rediscovered off the coast of Georgia in 2003, and many of its gold coins have now been distributed on the market. Together with previous shipwrecks as the S.S. Central America and the S.S. Brother Jonathan this has created an extensive specialty field of American numismatics.

These coins that are pedigreed to these mid 19th century shipwrecks are very historic, often part of the finest known for many issues, and give valuable insight into the American monetary system during and shortly after the American Civil War.

Combined over two large varieties (large date and small date) the 1850 eagle had a total mintage of 291,451 coins. Most of these circulated extensively, and the majority of coins of this date that still exist show signs from circulation. Uncirculated representatives are extremely scarce, and when found with good eye-appeal such as the present coin is a true edition to any specialized collection. Professionally conserved after it was recovered from the bottom of the sea, it now has fresh and lustrous surfaces which are extremely prooflike. Additionally, the number of marks for the grade is relatively small, and the strike upon minting clearly was strong, as virtually every detail on both sides is sharp.