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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The 1882-CC Liberty half eagle enjoyed a substantial mintage (in the context of the series) of 82,817 pieces. The issue circulated heavily in the regional economy at the time of issue and few high-quality examples were saved by contemporary collectors. Accordingly, the 1882-CC is not difficult to locate in circulated grades, but it is scarce in MS61 condition, and finer coins are prime condition rarities. The PCGS population is 22 with 14 graded higher, none better than MS62+. Listed at $15,300 in the CDN CPG and $20,000 in the PCGS price guide.
Offered at $16,800
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1807 is the final year for the Capped Bust Right type, which had ruled the denomination since its 1796 debut. Like many quarter eagle and dime die pairings from the early Mint era, the dies for the 1807 BD-1 quarter eagle — a single-die-pair year — were used to strike about 6,800 of the gold coins along with an estimated 165,000 silver dimes, which are also known through only the single JR-1 die marriage. These “marriages of convenience” were enabled via the lack of a stated denomination on either type. Although the obverse die is new (of course), the reverse die was previously used for all quarter eagles dated 1805 and 1806.
Though not apparent in our images, the example offered here exhibits abundant luster and excellent eye-appeal. The PCGS population is 9 with 23 graded higher.
Listed at $36,000 in the CDN CPG and $45,000 in the PCGS price guide.
Offered at $36,400
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The 1852 date was a heavily minted (over 2 million produced), but like all Type One double eagles it is distinctly uncommon in Mint State and rare in Select Mint State. Type collectors usually focus on the 1851, 1852, 1853 and 1861 double eagles to find a suitable specimen. Gold specialists compete for these dates, searching out sharp examples with excellent eye appeal. The one offered here exhibits satiny surfaces and golden-tan color. The NGC population is only 8 with 1 graded higher.
Listed at $28,800 in the CDN CPG and $29,500 in the NGC price guide.
Offered at $28,000
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