Lot 1602
1857-S $20 Liberty. PCGS graded MS-64 PQ, Gold Foil Holder. Includes original packing. Beautiful bright frosty luster, essentially "as struck"with very choice profile of Liberty -- an incredible coin if you have never seen one of these romantic '57-S double eagles!
The mint at San Francisco opened for business in 1854 in response to the influx of gold bullion from California's Sierra Nevada mother lodes. From the gold discovery made in 1848 until the mint opened, a number of private mints operated in this part of the state. Much of the issue from San Francisco went east through various means to satisfy the requirements of commerce and for use as export. Double eagles that stayed behind in California were used a currency since the state's residents shunned paper money of any kind. This is the main reason why most double eagles are found circulated (often heavily so) and only rarely in fresh mint condition. The Mint State 64 offered here is quite naturally among the finest in existence. Perhaps only a few thousand frosty original coins exist out of the original mintage and trace to the shipwreck of the passenger liner S. S. Central America, which floundered off the East Coast in a storm late in 1857.
Estimated Value $7,500 - 8,000.
Ex: S.S. Central America Treasure.
|
| |
| Realized $8,625 |
