1873-S $20 Closed 3 MS(PCGS#8969)

1873-S $20 Closed 3 MS (PCGS#8969)

The March 2011 Baltimore Auction

Lot Description: 1873-S Liberty Double Eagle. Closed 3. MS-63 (PCGS). More plentiful than the 1873-S Open 3 in all grades, the 1873-S Closed 3 is still a conditionally challenging Type II Double Eagle. Most survivors are worn to one degree or another, although patience will usually ferret out a BU-quality example in MS-60 or MS-61. MS-62s are scarce -- at which level Douglas Winter and Michael Fuljenz (<em>Type Two Double Eagles: 1866-1876</em>, 1999) start the Condition Census for this issue -- and there are precious few examples in higher grades. The MS-63 that we highlight here, in fact, is a pop 3/0 coin at PCGS.<br />     Splendid medium-rose patina blankets billowy, frosty-textured luster and provides exceptional eye appeal. The quality of strike is superior by the standards of the type, and uncommonly well-preserved surfaces are free of all but small, wispy abrasions that hardly detract. A coin that would serve as a highlight in the finest Liberty Double Eagle set.