1889-CC $20 MS(PCGS#9011)

June 2025 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

2443

Grade

AU58

Price

8,400

Lot Description

With a sharp strike, plenty of luster and bright honey-apricot color, this example presents exceptionally well for a lightly circulated Carson City Mint $20. There are no sizable or singularly distracting marks.<p>The Carson City Mint produced just 30,945 double eagles in 1889. David W. Akers, writing in 1982, characterized Mint State examples as "very scarce," and although some specimens were undoubtedly plucked from overseas gold reserves by numismatists in subsequent years, the estimated number of Uncirculated survivors remains low. In 2004, Q. David Bowers in his <em>Guide Book of Double Eagle Gold Coins</em> gave a high-end estimate of just 200 Mint States examples, while Rusty Goe (2020) provides a more conservative estimate of 90 to 110 coins at this level. Such survivors are scarce relative to the strong demand enjoyed by CC-Mint gold coinage in today's market, which in turn places considerable collector pressure on attractive Choice AU examples, as here.