1874-S Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-62 (PCGS). CAC.

1874-S Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-62 (PCGS). CAC.，This lustrous and frosty double eagle has rich golden-orange patina on both sides. The strike is very well executed for a Type II Liberty Head $20; the reverse is sharp throughout and the obverse is bold over the portrait and all but a few of the stars. Surface preservation is superior and, indeed, this is one of the finest 1874-S twenties realistically obtainable for most of todays gold collectors.<p>The mintage for this date is 1,214,000 pieces, marginally larger than the preceding year at the West Coast branch mint. Much of the mintage for the 1874-S double eagle made it into overseas transactions, and numerous Mint State examples came home in the twilight years of the 20th century. Enough, in fact, that this issue now ranks among the more available issues of the challenging Type II Liberty Head design. However, we estimate that only 500 to 800 Mint State examples are known, a small population when compared to truly common date Liberty Head twenties such as the 1900, 1907, and 1904. In addition, most survivors grade MS-60, MS-61 or, occasionally, MS-62. Few Choice examples are known, and there are no Gems certified at either PCGS or NGC.<p>In 1874 the new San Francisco Mint opened, a modern facility with state of the art equipment, far finer than the original building it replaced. From that point until 1937, this was the main center for coinage as well as storage of coins on the West Coast. In 1937 it was replaced by a new structure that is still in use.，From the A.J. Vanderbilt Collection. Earlier from our (Stacks) sale of January 1996, lot 1501. Lot tag included.，