1879-O $20 MS(PCGS#8990)

Winter 2022 U.S. Coins Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

7368

等级

VF30

价格

415,265

详细说明

Legendary 1879-O Double Eagle Rare Key Date Issue with Just 2,325 Pieces Produced 1879-O Liberty Head Double Eagle. Winter-1, the only known dies. VF-30 (PCGS). With plenty of bold detail remaining to both sides, this is a handsome and highly desirable absolute rarity in a Type III Liberty Head double eagle. Warmly and evenly patinated in deep khaki-gold, the surfaces are pleasingly smooth for the grade. Alone among New Orleans Mint double eagles of the Type III Liberty Head design type, the 1879-O was produced upon the reopening of the New Orleans Mint after its forced closure at the onset of the Civil War. The reason for this mintage is unknown, as the government's primary purpose in reopening the New Orleans facility in 1879 was to aid in the production of Morgan silver dollars. The 1879-O double eagle may have been produced simply to mark the historic resumption of coinage in New Orleans, a theory that gains support when we consider than the mintage of this issue is a token 2,325 pieces. Regardless of exactly why they were produced, many examples of the 1879-O were exported alongside other double eagles of the era as part of international transactions. Fewer than 150 coins are extant, and mostly thanks to repatriations from foreign bank hoards in recent decades. With such a limited number of examples known, the 1879-O is obviously a leading rarity in the Southern gold series. Doug Winter (2020) ranks this issue sixth in rarity among New Orleans Mint double eagles after the 1856-O, 1854-O, 1855-O, 1859-O and 1860-O. The present example is a highlight of the extensive double eagle offerings from the Fairmont Collection, and it is sure to have no difficulty finding its way into an advanced cabinet. Provenance: From the Fairmont Collection - CBL Set. PCGS# 8990. NGC ID: 26B8. Click here for certification details from PCGS.