U.S. $10 Liberty Gold Coins
Disclosure: Our content does not constitute financial advice. Speak to your financial advisor. We may earn money from companies reviewed. Learn more
U.S. $10 Liberty Gold Coins present you with a better value than the majority of modern era half ounce bullion gold coins. They possess a limited mintage and large gold content with significant history which contributes to their more impressive value on the world market. As a popular mainstay with both collectors and investors, they make a good choice for potential retirement accounts. Their patriotic design helped to renew the failing American patriotic enthusiasm of the mid to late 1800s, making them a important reminder of the American spirit.
U.S. $10 Liberty Gold Coins Background and History
U.S. $10 Liberty Gold Coins began their production life in 1838. Thanks to the need for a dependable $10 denominated gold coin at that time, this series quickly became an overnight success and among the most beloved of the nation's circulating gold or silver coins. The reverse side displayed the national symbol the American bald eagle. It made this one of the most interesting eagle designs of United States' coins.
These coins saw an incredible circulation lifespan of an unparalleled 69 years. They were struck annually starting in 1838 all the way through 1907. Christian Gobrecht, the third Chief Engraver for the U.S. Mint, designed these precisely detailed coins. It was his final and many say greatest ever effort before he died in 1840. The coin which bore his design outlasted him by nearly 70 years, a fitting tribute to a great chief engraver whose work made a beloved and lasting impression. Throughout their nearly 70 year reign, these $10 Liberty Gold Eagles enjoyed the reputation as the most popular American coin designs up to that point in American culture.
The inspiration for the Gobrecht design came out of two different sources. The Large Cent 1816 Coronet inspired the front of the coin, while the famed national bird the American eagle was chief muse for the back. Because these coins were circulating pre-1933 gold era issues, the recall of President Franklin D. Roosevelt for all Americans to surrender all of their gold did not apply to these particular coins. It ensured that they were not melted down like so many of their compatriot pieces. This also helps to explain why the $10 Liberty Eagle coins remain among the most desired and sought out gems for both investors and collectors alike today.
U.S. $10 Liberty Gold Coins Physical Characteristics
Coin Design
The obverse is the official name for the front of such coins. U.S. Liberty Gold Coins portray a lady Liberty in the leftward facing direction. The edge of the rim features 13 stars for the original 13 colonies of Great Britain that banded together to become the original territory of the United States after their successful conclusion of the Revolutionary War. The word “Liberty” is inscribed on the braid of her hair. The mintage date is inscribed below the stars.
The back side of coins is known as the “reverse.” U.S. Liberty Gold Coins depict the American eagle with a shield atop its breast. The eagle is holding three arrows in one talon while it carries an olive branch in its other talon. Surrounding this eagle is the country name, “United States of America,” as well as the $10 denomination. These coins were minted in one of the then-working U.S. Mint branches of either Philadelphia, Denver, Carson City, San Francisco, or New Orleans.
Specifications
U.S. $10 Liberty Gold Coins possess only the single size and $10 denomination. Their specifications are as follows:
- Mass: 0.4838 troy oz
- Diameter: 27 mm
- Thickness: 2.03 mm
- Purity: 90% gold fineness
U.S. $10 Liberty Gold Coins Pricing
U.S. $10 Liberty Gold Coins enjoy a fairly high United States denominated face value of ten dollars. They are still accepted throughout the United States today as legal tender well over a century after they were officially circulating coins. While the face value means that you can spend these pieces for $10 in goods and services, it would be truly foolhardy to do it, since the gold value of the coins is well in excess of $500. This high value mostly comes from the world spot gold prices. The coins also command a collectable premium above their gold content value thanks to their enduring collectors' appeal and historical connection with 19th century Americana.
The coins' intrinsic value is what determines these coins' market value. It matters enormously to those who collect them as it provides the value of their investment, retirement, or coin collecting portfolios. Actual market value from the gems is derived from up and down moving gold prices that trade six days per week from Sunday afternoon through the end of business day on Friday. You can learn how high the present price of gold is just by going on over to see it displayed in real time on our homepage.
Can IRA Accounts Contain U.S. $10 Liberty Gold Coins?
U.S. $10 Liberty Gold Coins are beautiful, inspiring, and true pieces of an important epoch in U.S. history that encompassed the industrialization of the country, the bitter Civil War and subsequent reconstruction, the settlement of the wild west, the American colonial expansionary era, and the conquest and annexation of the Kingdom of Hawaii in the Pacific and Cuba and the Philippines from the Spanish. For this reason, many retirement-focused investors and coin collectors wish to know if the coins themselves may be included in such retirement vehicles as self directed IRAs. It is entirely up to the discretion of the Internal Revenue Service if these pieces can be obtained with and held in precious metals IRAs. They carefully review all potential bullion contenders by considering both the level of coin purity and amount of collectible interest and premium in the coins.
Holding approved coins in an IRA means that they must be safeguarded by an IRS approved vaulting company like Brinks or Delaware Depository. To start such an account, you must first fund it with minimally $5,000 in precious metals bullion that the IRS specifically approves. Subsequently you can elect to add only $1,000 more in purchases at a time to your retirement vehicle. Do not worry if you already have a more traditional form or IRA and you wish to transfer it to a precious metals self directed IRA account. The IRS permits you to do this with relatively little hassle by engaging in a roll over with your old and new account administrators taking care of most of the paperwork and transfer specifics on your behalf.
The IRS holds all potential gold bullion coins up to the highly pure requirement standard of .995 fineness. Unfortunately for lovers of numismatic and American history, these U.S. $10 Liberty Gold Coins only contain only .900 fineness of gold. They are also quite collectible and have a higher than average bullion premium over the spot price of gold. This is why the IRS will not allow you to include these lovely issues within your precious metals IRA account now or ever.
Sign up to learn more. It's free!
If you're worried about the economy and want to learn tips on how to protect your retirement savings in case of another systemic collapse, sign up to our monthly newsletter now for free! We cover topics such as: precious metals investing, inflation, currency devaluation, national debt, the Fed's financial policies, world politics, and much more. Join now and we'll send you a free PDF report entitled “5 scams to avoid when investing in bullion gold & silver”