The mintage figures for circulation-strike three-dollar gold coins don’t translate perfectly into relative availability status for the respective issues. The best example is the first-year 1854 issue with the highest mintage of the series at 138,618 coins. The 1878 three-dollar issue, with a lower production of 82,304 pieces, is considerably more collectible than its higher-mintage predecessor and an ideal choice for type purposes.
Listed at $12,000 in the CDN CPG and $17,500 in the PCGS price guide.
Offered at $12,600 Delivered
We do business the old fashioned way, we speak with you.
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
We do business the old fashioned way, we speak with you.
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
We do business the old fashioned way, we speak with you.
The first Morgan dollars had an eagle with eight tailfeathers. Mint officials soon received feedback from ornithophiles that an even number of tailfeathers was an impossibility and a decision was soon made to change the design to seven feathers. Existing dies were reworked, creating the 7/8 Tailfeather varieties, although the number of original feather tips varies on different dies, creating the varieties known as Strong or Weak. If four or more of the feather tips are visible, the variety is designated as strong. If fewer than four feather tips are present, the variety is described as weak. This one is clearly an example of the former. The PCGS population is just 6 with none graded higher.
Listed at $16,800 in the CDN CPG and $18,000 in the PCGS price guide.
Offered at $15,150
We do business the old fashioned way, we speak with you.
The design of the double eagle was modified to include the motto IN GOD WE TRUST on the reverse in 1866, initiating the popular Type Two design. The San Francisco Mint struck both Type One and Type Two twenties that year, but all double eagles produced at the Philadelphia Mint were of the new Motto design.
While the business-strike mintage was 698,745 pieces, few high-quality examples were saved by contemporary collectors. Only the wealthiest 19th century collectors could afford to set aside lengthy date runs of twenty-dollar gold coins, and the well-heeled numismatists who did collect double eagles preferred to update their collections by purchasing proof examples from the Mint every year. The coins were seldom seen in circulation, as they could only be purchased from banks and bullion brokers at a premium and the general public had become accustomed to the more convenient paper money during the Civil War years. Much of the 1866 mintage was exported and melted. Some more coins were sent to the Western United States where they circulated heavily in the hard-money economy of that region. By the time numismatic interest in the denomination became widespread in the late 1930s the coins had been circulating for decades, suffering much wear and attrition along the way. The 1866 Liberty double eagle is not difficult to locate in circulated grades today, but Mint State examples are decidedly elusive. Most Uncirculated examples are concentrated in the MS60-MS61 grade range and finer coins are rare. The one offered here is highly lustrous, with attractive color and excellent eye appeal. The PCGS population is only 11 with 2 graded higher.
Listed at $39,600 in the CDN CPG and $35,000 in the PCGS price guide.
Offered at $36,650
We do business the old fashioned way, we speak with you.
