1870 Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-60 (PCGS).

1870 Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-60 (PCGS).，A lustrous, boldly to sharply defined example with superior quality and eye appeal for the assigned grade. The 1870 double eagle is a deceptively rare coin to locate in high grade. While its relatively moderate mintage of 155,150 pieces would suggest a reasonably obtainable issue when in reality the overwhelming majority of the surviving coins are in the lower grades. In his landmark 1982 work on double eagles, David Akers noted: "When available this date is almost always only VF or EF, and at the AU level I consider the 1870 to be quite rare. Proofs of this date are very rare but are still more likely to be found than a Mint State business strike." This is a consequence of not only circulation patterns of the time, but also collecting habits. Most double eagles in the East were not used on a regular basis domestically but were rather the preferred medium for international commerce. The few contemporary numismatists who could afford to assemble a cabinet of double eagles preferred to obtain a Proof example from the Mint instead of acquiring pieces from circulation. Just how challenging this issue is to obtain in Mint State can be illustrated by the fact that neither the celebrated Eliasberg Collection nor the Bass Collection contained an uncirculated example of the date. Astute numismatists waiting for an uncirculated specimen of this quiet rarity should plan their bidding strategy accordingly.，，