Owner Comments:
With the 1853-O no motto eagle, we start getting into the more common issues. The 1853-O, with an estimated 50- 60 known in AU and above, it is more common than the 1844-0 and 1860-0 (Group 5), but still less common than the 1858-O and of course the two most common, 1851-O and 1847-O. Winter estimates that only 3 are known in MS (including two in the California Collection), with the rest AU.
Census: (PCGS 14/2 NGC 47/5 -- inflated by resubmissions)
This is a nice PCGS AU58 example from a 2006 Heritage auction, Winter Variety Four, much scarcier than the common Winter variety one. The shield has no o ring and their is a die crack between the last two stars. The surfaces are somewhat reflective, with greenish gold color. It has a big, thickish date, with reflectivity between the numerals. The strike is good, with the stars showing unusual delineation all the way around, with stars #2 and 4 with weakest.
With the ultra rarity of the mint state examples, I figured a nice PCGS AU58 will be the best I can do for the Louisiana Purchase.