Lot 2404
1870-CC $10 Liberty. NGC graded AU-50. NGC holder 3004473-001. Some mint flash still present. Light toning around the devices. An incredibly wonderful and highly rated rarity, a benchmark for the few other About Uncirculated 50 examples that share this lofty grade. While the strike is bold and crisp, it is not quite full on the stars, yet certainly few of the head details are left to the viewer's imagination. Also, there is a sharp eagle. Later CC-mint $10 gold pieces struck in the mid-1870s are, for the most part, poorly made, which gives the nod of approval to this 1870-CC. Light surface abrasions are consistent with its few years spent in circulation in the "Wild West."
Only a single pair of dies were used for 1870-CC. On January 6, 1870, the Carson City Mint opened for bullion deposits and coinage. During its 23 years of operation, the Mint would create some of the most difficult to acquire and romanticized rarities in numismatics. While there are a fair number of scarce dates among the branch mint's silver and gold denominations, few have the allure of the 1870-CC eagle. It is the rarest eagle struck in Carson City. This issue also outshines the similarly illustrious 1870-CC double eagle for top honors as a rarity among all CC-mint gold coins!
A total mintage of only 5,908 pieces explains this coin's rarity. While the 1872-CC, 1873-CC, 1876-CC, 1877-CC, 1878-CC, and 1879-CC may have had lower mintages, far fewer 1870-CC examples survive in all grades. It seems logical that the entire 1870-CC production was put into circulation at the time of production. It is hardly a miracle, then, that the 1870-CC is celebrated as a condition rarity in addition to being an absolute rarity. Pop 7; 7 finer; 4 in 53; 3 in 55. (PCGS # 8658) .
Estimated Value $40,000 - 50,000.
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