1874-CC Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-61 (PCGS). CAC.

1874-CC Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-61 (PCGS). CAC.，This wonderfully original, aesthetically pleasing Carson City double eagle combines a satiny reverse with a modestly prooflike obverse. Both sides are predominantly fully struck and display rich honey-gold patina. The Carson City Mint delivered 115,085 double eagles in 1874, up considerably from the 22,410 coins struck in 1873. The coins went directly into commerce locally, with few if any being shipped overseas at the time. Carson City Mint double eagles were not sent to foreign destinations in quantity before 1879, and only intermittently after that time. As a result, repatriated Carson City Mint gold coins typically are circulated, having received wear in the United States prior to being shipped overseas.<p>The fact that most 1874-CC double eagles circulated locally explains the extreme rarity of this issue in Mint State. There was no known numismatic interest on the frontier at the time, and very few coins were preserved in Mint State as part of foreign bank hoards. We believe that as few as 10 to 15 examples of this issue can be called truly Mint State today, mainly repatriated coins. Here is a significant bidding opportunity for double eagle collectors and Carson City Mint specialists alike.<p>The 1874-CC was recognized as a rarity at an early time. On two occasions in 1929, Thomas L. Elder, the main buyer of double eagles and other gold coins from bank tellers, offered two of them at auction, both in only Fine grade, one called very rare and the other called rare. Elder was aware of the aspects of scarcity and rarity before most other dealers.<p>，From the A.J. Vanderbilt Collection. Earlier from our (Stacks) sale of October 1991, lot 1085. Lot tag included.，