1853/'2' $20 MS(PCGS#8909)

Summer 2025 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

6380

Grade

AU53

Price

3,840

Lot Description

A bold and attractive example of the eagerly sought 1853/'2' double eagle variety. Vivid pinkish-rose iridescence and dominant, rich honey-orange color blanket both sides of this appreciably lustrous example. The devices are boldly to sharply defined and the primary diagnostic for the FS-301 attribution is readily evident within the lower loop of the digit 3 in the date. Although discovered as early as the 1950s, the 1853/'2' double eagle did not gain widespread popularity with specialized collectors until the 1980s. It is still underrated and actually ranks as the rarest <em>Guide Book</em>-listed Type I Liberty Head double eagle from the Philadelphia Mint if it is considered as distinct from the normal date 1853. While a few high grade pieces were retrieved with the treasures of the S.S. <em>Republic</em> and S.S. <em>Central America</em>, the 1853/'2' remains particularly elusive in AU and Mint State.