1847 Eagle (1847 $10) NGC AU58. Ex-SS Republic - blue tag. This $10 gold Eagle has at least two things going for it. First, the grade. NGC has assessed its condition at AU-58. These were work horse coins, used extensively in commerce, passing frequently hand-to-hand in ordinary daily circulation. The condition of the surviving coins reflects that constant usage.

Most available grades for the $10 Liberty Heads hover in a range of Very Fine and Extremely Fine. At AU-58 this gold Eagle represents a fair degree of grade scarcity. Thats the first thing. The second thing is the history. This coin accompanied the S.S. Republic on her doomed voyage from New York to New Orleans in October 1865, when she sank one hundred miles off the Georgia coast on the night of the 25th. The Republic was recovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration in 2003. Add that together with an AU-58 grade exhibiting minimal traces of wear you have a high quality coin marked by a deep and complex history that only a few coins may rightly claim.