1858-O $20 MS(PCGS#8924)

1858-O $20 MS (PCGS#8924)

The August 2010 Boston Rarities Sale

Losbeschreibung: 1858-O Liberty Double Eagle. Winter Variety One, the only known dies. MS-61 PL (NGC). Nicely reflective throughout, this piece displays its greatest vibrancy when observed with the aid of a strong light. The color is a rich, even, honey-gold shade, and the surfaces present as uncommonly smooth for the grade with no individually distracting abrasions in evidence. A generally sharp strike is also a praiseworthy attribute, and it softens appreciably--and insignificantly--only on the obverse at stars 1-3.<br />     While not in the same league as the 1854-O and 1856-O, the 1858-O is an elusive issue in all grades that ranks among the rarer Double Eagles from the New Orleans Mint. According to Doug Winter in the 2006 edition of the book <em>Gold Coins of the New Orleans Mint: 1839-1909</em>, survivors of this 35,250-piece issue number only 150-175 coins in all grades. Uncs are particularly rare and number fewer than seven or eight examples. The coin we offer here is the only PL-designated example known to PCGS and NGC.