1887-S $20 MS(PCGS#9007)

March 2018 Baltimore U.S. Coins Auction

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

10407

Grade

MS64

Price

22,800

Lot Description

Exceptional 1887-S Double Eagle Among the Finest Certified 1887-S Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-64 (PCGS). OGH. This supremely attractive 1887-S double eagle is sharply struck, remarkably well preserved, and displays satiny rose-orange luster. The obverse approaches full Gem status. The San Francisco Mint delivered 283,000 double eagles in 1887. Although this is a fairly generous mintage in an absolute sense, it marked the lowest production level for double eagles at the San Francisco facility during the decade. As recently as 1982, David W. Akers considered the 1887-S to be scarce in Uncirculated condition, and Mint State examples appeared in fewer than 10% of the major auction sales that he surveyed in preparation of his landmark double eagle treatise. Later in 2004, when Q. David Bowers authored his Guide Book of Double Eaglesfor Whitman, the situation was completely different, as thousands of Uncirculated examples from overseas bank reserves had come to light, and were repatriated in American collections. Today, high end estimates place the Uncirculated population above the 3,000-coin figure. With the vast majority of repatriated coins grading no finer than MS-62, however, the 1887-S remains scarce in MS-63 and exceedingly rare any finer. This premium Choice example numbers among the five finest known to PCGS, with none graded higher than MS-63 at NGC. Given the immense popularity of the Liberty Head double eagle series among gold enthusiasts, we anticipate keen bidder interest and fierce competition for this coin when it crosses our auctioneer's block in Baltimore. Provenance: From the A.J. Vanderbilt Collection. Earlier from our (Stack's) 71st Anniversary Sale, October 2006, lot 2328. PCGS Population: 4; with one MS-65 finer. PCGS# 9007. NGC ID: 26BS. Click here for certification details from PCGS.