Like all Philadelphia Mint issues of the denomination between 1862 and 1873, the 1868 has a very small mintage. Just 10,630 pieces were struck, compared to the nearly 100,000 Double Eagles produced at the facility that year. Gold coins did not circulate on the east coast during this era, driven out of circulation by unbacked Federal currency, and there was little contemporary need for the Eagle denomination, as the Double Eagle favored by banking and export circles. The 1868 eventually did circulate, since nearly all survivors are in VF to AU grades.