The Small Date variety is the scarcer of the two New Orleans eagles from 1854, even though it has traditionally been regarded as the more common. It is usually seen in EF40 to AU50 grades and it becomes very scarce in properly graded AU55 and above. When it is actually available in the middle AU grades, it tends to be bright, baggy and unattractive. The present example is among the better AU55′s that I have seen with nearly full luster visible below light to medium orange-gold hues. The strike is sharp and even and there is not a lot of actual wear visible on either side. The fields are far less abraded than normal and the overall level of eye appeal is well above-average for the date and grade. There are an estimated 150-200 known but the vast majority are AU50 and below. I doubt if more than two to three dozen properly graded AU’s are known and I can account for just two or three in Uncirculated. Given the fact that PCGS has graded just eight better than this, I’d say thay my asking price of just a smidgen over $3,000 is awfully good value, no?