1865 $20 MS(PCGS#8943)

November 2019 Baltimore U.S. Coins Auction

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

8523

Grade

AU53

Price

2,640

Lot Description

1865 Liberty Head Double Eagle. AU-53 (PCGS). Lustrous for the grade with sharp to full striking detail and pretty orange-gold patina. Circulation strike double eagle production at the Philadelphia Mint amounted to 351,175 coins, or $7,023,500 in face value, in 1865. Since gold coins continued to be hoarded in the East and Midwest, these were available only at a premium in terms of Legal Tender notes. Most examples were eventually lost through melting and, while the scarcity of Mint State survivors is well known among double eagle enthusiasts, we stress that this issue is also among the more elusive in the Liberty Head series in circulated grades. Q. David Bowers (2004) provides an estimate of just 800 to 1,200 such pieces, most of which grade no finer than EF-45. PCGS# 8943. NGC ID: 269U. Click here for certification details from PCGS.