1850-O Liberty Head Double Eagle. Winter-3. AU-50 (PCGS).This is a particularly desirable example of this historic first year issue that will appeal to both double eagle enthusiasts and New Orleans Mint specialists. Wonderful color blankets both sides, and there is ample remaining luster. Boldly defined overall with above average quality and strong eye appeal for this conditionally challenging issue.<p>The first double eagle from the Louisiana branch mint has a mintage of 141,000 pieces, considerably lower than the 1,170,261-coin mintage reported for the Philadelphia Mints delivery of the year. This began a trend that would continue throughout the early New Orleans Mint double eagle series of 1850 to 1861 as the majority of metal from the California gold fields found its way to the Northeast rather than the Deep South.<p>The 1850-O is one of the more challenging early date New Orleans Mint double eagles to collect. Survivors are rarer than the 1851-O and 1852-O issues, and most are in grades such as VF or EF. As with the Philadelphia Mints issue of 1850, the 1850-O saw extensive use in domestic circulation, primarily in regions west of the Mississippi River where gold coins were a preferred medium of exchange. Other examples were exported, primarily to London, where they were eventually melted. With its first year status resulting in particularly strong demand among mintmarked gold type collectors and New Orleans Mint enthusiasts, this impressive About Uncirculated 1850-O double eagle is sure to see spirited bidding at auction.PCGS# 8903. NGC ID: 268G.From the Dr. Solomon Collection.
