Complete $10 Gold Date Set, Circulation Strikes (1795-1933)

This set is a bit unusual in that the toughest coin comes at the end of the series, rather than at the start as in most sets. Despite a healthy mintage of 312,500 pieces, nearly all of the 1933s were, yes, you guessed it... melted at the mint! An estimated 40 pieces survived, and nearly all have remained in Mint State, although none are superb gems. Two more $10 Indians sit near the top of the list of tough coins in this set; the 1920-S and the 1930-S. Like the 1933, their original mintage was adequate but nearly all were melted. After these late issues, the early issues of course will be tough as well, with 1795-1798 coins all well into five figures even in the middle grades. Higher grades go to six figures. Coinage of $10 Gold pieces was suspended from 1805 through 1837, thereby sparing collectors the task of obtaining coins, that had they been struck, would surely have been heavily melted. To date, only Eliasberg and the Smithsonian National Collection have completed this set, although Harry Bass and the Norweb family came close.