1857 Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-60 (PCGS). CAC.A charming Uncirculated example of this underrated condition rarity among Type I double eagles. The portrait is far above average in strike with just a few hints of weakness. The stars are bold except for a tiny bit of lightness on stars 5 and 6 (if we didnt point this out you would never notice). The dentils are full. The revere is needle sharp. Both sides have rich luster. A toning streak is seen in the obverse field before Libertys chin. The surfaces are remarkably smooth and far better preserved than expected at the assigned grade level. In our opinion, if all MS-60 coins were this nice there would be no reason to seek MS-63 coins. We have probably handled more choice and rare double eagles than any other coin dealer in numismatic history and we know exceptional quality when we see it.The mintage for this issue is 439,375 pieces, up nearly 110,000 coins from the preceding years tally at the Philadelphia Mint. Perhaps 40 to 60 or so different Mint State examples are extant, with nearly all at the MS-60 level or moderately finer. Anything above MS-60 can be considered a condition rarity for this issue, in fact, and relatively few Mint State offerings of the 1857 double eagle have occurred in the past few decades. This is a lovely example from an aesthetic viewpoint, certainly worthy of a bid exceeding what a typical MS-60 might bring.Ex H. Jeff Browning; our (Stacks, in conjunction with Sothebys) sale of the Dallas Bank Collection, October 2001, lot 18; our sale of the Gilded Age Collection, August 2014, lot 12015.
