1897-O Liberty Head Eagle. MS-64 (PCGS). A gorgeous Choice Mint State example that ranks among the finest survivors in existence, this piece is brightly lustrous with a softly frosted, rose-orange sheen to both sides. The major design elements are crisply delineated from a sharp strike, and the surfaces are so smooth as to suggest a Gem classification upon first glance. A trio of tiny ticks in the obverse field before Libertys chin serves well for identification purposes, allowing it to be traced back to our sale of July 2009. A beautiful coin that is surely destined for the finest cabinet of Liberty eagles.The 1897-O has an original mintage of just 42,500 pieces, and it is among the scarcer Motto Liberty Eagles from the New Orleans Mint. It is rarer in all grades than the 1894-O, 1895-O, 1901-O and 1906-O, among other issues, and is hardly ever offered above the BU grade level. At MS-64 (PCGS), this piece sit comfortably at the lower end of the condition census, with just 3 coins certified finer by PCGS. Ex our sale of July 2009, lot 1485.
