Lot 1858
1852. PCGS graded MS-61. Very frosty with a hint of gold tone. Well struck. Double Eagle strikes began at the Philadelphia Mint in 1850. They continued exclusively at that facility until the San Francisco Mint opened in 1854. As the chosen and most commonsense means to handle the large, heavy coins, Philadelphia took on the burden of the lion's share of the work; the first four years of the regular mintage recorded a million pieces struck annually, and for the 1851 and 1852 issues, there mintage went into the multiple millions.
Yet availability in high grades is today strictly limited. The Double Eagle denomination was meant to circulate, and circulate it did. Today, most 1852s are in grades such from Very Fine to Extremely Fine, with occasional examples in higher condition coming on the market.
This Mint State 61 survivor is one of the few in Uncirculated recorded in the grading service databases; a collector would be thrilled to own it. Only a few small marks and hairlines visible, enough to preclude a finer designation; otherwise soft satiny luster extends pretty much everywhere. With eye appeal commensurate with its satiny allure. Easily a Philadelphia $20 that blows its own horn, so to speak, in terms of preservation seldom seen save on San Francisco shipwreck pieces in the mid-1850s to 1860s. Pop 29; 47 finer, 33 in 62, 10 in 63, 4 in 65. (PCGS # 8906) .
Estimated Value $6,000 - 7,000.
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| Realized $11,456 |
