Set Description
These are the New Orleans Eagles that are part of the Registry Set "Louisiana Purchase" that is in the New Orleans Mint Gold Complete registry.<br /><br />While not the strongest demonination of the Louisiana Purchase, these eagles are generally at the high end of the census and are selected for their originality and eye appeal. It is also a complete set, including the rare and difficult to find 1841-O, 1859-O, 1879-O and the 1883-O, of which only 800 were minted. In addition, the descriptions are now complete (as of 5/08), although they will be refined and amplified over time.<br /><br />A highlight of the Louisiana Eagles collection is the 1859-O. This is the rarest no motto date (no motto is 1841 to 1860). This coin in this collection is the Eliasberg/Clapp coin, which QD Bowers believes is the finest known.<br /><br />The 1843-O is also a very high end piece for the date, and was recently discovered. Finally, the 1854-O small date is perhaps the second finest known of that variety.<br /><br />The "No Motto" Eagles (1841 - 1860): For the last several years, these Eagles have seen the least amount of availability (for collectors) of any denomination of New Orleans gold. They are very rare, and most nice coins are in tightly held hands. They have also been very undervalued, except in ther rare cases of when a pedigreed piece comes on the market.<br /><br />Regarding the "with motto" portion of the series, highlights include the 1880-O MS62 (second finest known), 1881-O (second finest known), the 1883-O (second finest known) and the NGC MS65 1903-O (second finest known) and the PCGS MS65 1904-O (third or fourth finest known).<br /><br />There are several other collections of high end eagles that include or focus on New Orleans (see Doug Winters book: "California Collection" and "Louisiana Collection" not to be confused with this one). Wouldn't it be nice to see these other sets listed here, too, in addition to Big Easy and this one of the Louisiana Purchase Collection? <br /><br />This date range is interesting for it variation in size of the date logotype. It ranges from "tiny" on the 1841-O, which is unique in this regard, to "huge" on the 1854 Large Date. Interestingly, the dates get larger from 1841 to 1854, and then get smaller again. The 1859-O and 1860-O issues have a smaller logotype that the rest, other than the 1841. The 1854-O has two varieties, which I would call "large" and "huge" in relation to the rest of the series.
