Lot 1732
$10 Gold Liberty. 1884-CC. PCGS graded AU-58 PQ. A splendid opportunity to acquire one of the finest known 1884 Carson City eagles! Carson City struck 9,925 pieces this year and almost the entire mintage was put into circulation, as was generally the case for many of the "CC" eagles. Correspondingly, choice AU and mint state survivors are extremely rare.
We feel that the present example is one of the finest known to exist and that the grade given by PCGS, AU58, is incorrect. First of all, there is no friction or evidence of wear on Liberty or the eagle. Microgranular surfaces are lustrous and original and have light hairlines in only small portions of the fields, consistent with a MS61 or MS62 grade. Luster rolls across Liberty's cheek and into hair, a good sign of "uncirculated" status when accompanying strong strike and frictionless surfaces. Yellow gold surfaces have not been dipped or altered in any way and possess the original "skin". Liberty's bust has the raised die lines that Walter Breen described when he called this obverse die the "canceled obverse". Even these raised die lines are sharp and frosty.
Mint state specimen do exist but only in small numbers. The finest known to date is a PCGSMS63 example and while we feel that this coin is not that fine, it definitely should be accompanying the other 5 mint state examples in the MS60-MS62 range.
Estimated Value $7,000 - 9,000.
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| Realized $8,913 |
