1892-CC $20 MS(PCGS#9020)

December 2025 Showcase Auction - The James A. Stack, Sr. Collection Part I

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

20050

Grade

AU53

Price

8,100

Lot Description

Plenty of frosty to modestly semi-reflective luster will tempt both Carson City Mint and double eagle enthusiasts. Bathed in warm honey-gold color, tinges of more vivid pinkish-rose patina add appeal. A sharp and inviting About Uncirculated twenty that is sure to see spirited bidding at auction.<p>The Carson City Mint produced 27,265 double eagles in 1892, up more than 22,000 coins over the previous year's production at this facility. This issue was considered to be quite scarce for many years, the result of widespread use in the export trade, common for late date CC-Mint gold issues, and a different situation than that which prevailed in the 1870s and early 1880s. Beginning in the 1950s, quite a few 1892-CC double eagles were repatriated through the efforts of certain dealers, and in 1957 Jim Kelly was retailing examples for $90 each, at a time when a common date double eagle sold for about $40. Thanks to the work of Kelly, his contemporaries, and those who came after, the current survival estimate for this issue in all grades is 1,050 to 1,300 pieces (as provided by Rusty Goe, <em>The Confident Carson City Coin Collector</em>, 2020). Most grade VF or EF, similar to the situation that prevailed prior to the 1960s, when most "name" collections had a VF or occasional EF example of the 1892-CC. This is a scarce About Uncirculated example, and with CMQ approval, it is rare relative to the demand that such premium quality coinage enjoys in today's highly competitive market.