1856 $20 MS(PCGS#8917)

Summer 2025 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

3368

Grade

MS63

Price

31,200

Lot Description

This top-pop condition rarity delivers full satin to softly frosted luster and rich, deep rose-gold color. The fields have a minimum of marks, certainly far fewer than typically seen on a certified coin at this grade level. The obverse strike is exceptional, among the finest seen, with excellent detail overall, including above average in the hair strands, needle-sharp for the stars and their centers, and virtual perfection for the dentils. The reverse is needle-sharp overall.<p>The 1856 is considered by many to be a common Type I Liberty Head double eagle, no doubt because of the size of the mintages that occurred in Philadelphia at the beginning of the series. With regard to higher grades nothing could be further from the truth. This date has long been respected by specialists in the denomination as one of the more difficult Philadelphia Mint issue of the 1850s, especially in attractive high-grade condition. The present piece is as fine as you will encounter in a PCGS holder.