This Philadelphia issue is a standout rarity within the latter part of the double eagle series, boasting the lowest mintage of any date from that point through 1907, when the Liberty Head motif was replaced with Saint-Gaudens’ design. Only 4,430 circulation strikes were manufactured, plus 93 proofs. Although the 1892 did not see much circulation and was likely subject to exportation overseas, examples are rarely seen in Uncirculated condition. The NGC population is 30 with 38 graded higher.
Listed at $19,200 in the CDN CPG and $18,500 in the NGC price guide.
Offered at $18,900 Delivered
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The mintage exceeds 2.8 million pieces, making the 1901-S popular and available in just about any desired grade through the Premium Gem level. Superb Gems such as this MS67 are conditionally scarce and essentially unknown any finer. In fact, t he NGC population is 25 (one of which has been designated “Star”) with none graded higher. The one offered here boasts a bold strike and satiny surfaces.
Listed at $26,400 in the CDN CPG and $23,000 in the NGC price guide.
Offered at $20,550
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All 1891-CC twenty-dollar gold pieces feature the same obverse and reverse dies. The issue ranks as the third most challenging Carson City double eagle after the 1870-CC and 1871-CC. Its mintage of 5,000 coins is only 1,211 pieces higher than the virtually unobtainable first-year issue from the Nevada branch mint. However, the 1891-CC does enjoy a substantially higher survival rate of about 6% compared to 1.5% for the 1870-CC. Regardless, this late-date issue remains scarce in all grades and is particularly rare in Mint State. The vast majority of examples offered are in XF and AU grades. The PCGS population is 33 with 27 graded higher.
Listed at $60,000 in the PCGS price guide.
Offered at $52,750
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The New Orleans Mint struck a small mintage of 17,741 Liberty double eagles in the early part of 1861, on the brink of the Civil War. Noted gold specialist Doug Winter reports only 5,000 of those coins were struck before January 26, while the New Orleans Mint was still operating under federal authority. Another 9,750 examples were produced between January 26 and March 31, while the State of Louisiana was the governing authority. A final production of 2,991 specimens was achieved under the auspices of the Confederacy, before the Mint shut its doors on April 30. Although three obverse dies were sent to the New Orleans Mint, it seems all the coins were struck from the same die pair. Most of the coins show some weakness in the numerals of the date, toward the bottom. About one fifth of the surviving population features a strong date, with a die crack from the rim near star 2 to Liberty’s chin. Attempts have been made to determine which coins were struck first and which were produced by the Confederacy, but there is no general agreement at this time. Collecting double eagles was not popular in the 19th century, as the cost of assembling a collection of twenty dollar gold coins was prohibitive for most numismatists of the period. Little attention was paid to branch mint issues and the few wealthy collectors who did assemble date runs of large denomination gold coins usually preferred to order proof from the Philadelphia Mint to update their collection. As a result, few high-quality examples of the 1861-O were saved for numismatic purposes and no more than 150-175 specimens survive today in all grades. Most examples seen are in the XF40 to AU50 grade range. Winter notes, “Properly graded AU55 and AU58 coins are very rare, and I haven’t seen more than 3-5 with claims to an Uncirculated grade.”
In hand, this example looks far better than it shows in our images and it exhibits considerable luster and flash. The NGC population is 15 (one of which is designated “Star”) with 22 graded higher.
Listed at $72,000 in the CDN CPG and $75,000 in the NGC price guide.
Offered at $69,900 Delivered
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1796 was the first year of dime (or disme, per nomenclature of the era) production at the First Philadelphia Mint. The Draped Bust and Small Eagle motifs originated on 1795 silver dollars. According to often repeated numismatic legend, the Draped Bust model was Philadelphia socialite Ann Willing Bingham, indirectly through paintings by noted artist Gilbert Stuart. Guide Book credit for the design, however, is assigned to Chief Engraver Robert Scot. On the dime, the Small Eagle only lasted through 1797, and was replaced by the Heraldic (or Large) Eagle in 1798. The Draped Bust obverse continued until 1807, except the star count was reduced to 13 beginning in 1798. Technically, the 1796 15 Stars is a single-year design subtype, since the 1797 issue has either 16 (JR-1) or 13 (JR-2) stars.
In hand this example is lighter in hue and more lustrous than seen in our images. Listed at $19,800 in the CDN CPG and $21,000 in the NGC price guide.
Offered at $18,890 Delivered
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