1865 $20 J-452, DCAM PR65+ DCAM 认证号28756937, PCGS号537352

David Akers (1975/88)

Description: Obverse. The regular die with the head of Liberty facing left wearing a beaded coronet inscribed LIBERTY. The head is surrounded by 13 stars; below the bust is the date, 1865. Reverse. The regular die adopted in 1866. The central device is an eagle with a shield on its breast, three arrows in its left talon and an olive branch in its right. An ornate scroll to the left of the shield is inscribed E PLURIBUS while a similar scroll to the right is inscribed UNUM. Above the eagle's head are rays and an oval of 13 stars enclosing the motto IN GOD WE TRUST. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is near the border and TWENTY D. is below the eagle.

Comments: There are only two specimens of this transitional double eagle pattern, the one first offered in the Mason and Company sale of June, 1870 and the one in the Mint Collection at the Smithsonian Institution.

The lone specimen outside the Mint Collection was owned, along with the other two pieces of the 1865 transitional gold set, by William Woodin, Waldo Newcomer, and King Farouk. The set was broken up at the 1954 Farouk sale and Dr. Wilkison purchased the double eagle at that time. It was later sold together with the rest of Dr. Wilkison's collection to Paramount International Coin Corporation. The Paramount specimen is a superb gem, slightly finer than the piece in the Mint Collection which has a few very light handling marks.