1872-CC Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-61 (NGC).Sparkling with bright and vivid orange-apricot color, this extraordinary condition rarity retains full mint luster in a soft satin texture. The strike is generally sharp with emerging to bold definition in and around the centers on both sides. The in-hand appearance is smoother than one might expect for an early date Carson City Mint double eagle at the assigned grade level - a vertical hairline scuff in the obverse field between star 12 and the portrait notwithstanding - and this is clearly a superior example of a key date issue.<p>The 1872-CC is the third double eagle issue from this frontier era branch mint, the mintage a modest 26,900 pieces. In the first three years of coinage operations at the Carson City Mint - 1870, 1871, and 1872 - it seems that the gold coins were used regionally and, indeed, we suspect that the 1872-CC double eagle as an issue helped form the backbone of the economy in and around Carson City. Beginning in 1873, however, quantities of gold coins were more widely distributed, including in shipments sent to foreign banks. Today, the first three CC-Mint gold issues across all three denominations - $5, $10, and $20 - are all true classics. Grades for surviving 1872-CC double eagles are often VF to EF, and even a solidly graded and aesthetically pleasing AU is a rare find in todays market. Mint State coins, as here, are so elusive that most collectors will never even see one, let alone have the opportunity to compete for the opportunity to add an example to their collection. The strongest bids are in order here, for once this coin sells it may be many years before another 1872-CC double eagle of comparable quality appears at auction.PCGS# 8964. NGC ID: 26AE.NGC Census: 10; with a single MS-62 * finer. The corresponding PCGS Population is even lower at 2/1 (MS-62 finest).
