1858-O Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-63 (NGC).，Among early double eagles, the rarest of the rare are New Orleans coins in Mint State. We proudly present a landmark coin -- the very finest 1858-O certified by either service. Both sides exhibit razor-sharp striking detail that is universally full from the rims to the centers. Bright golden yellow surfaces are semi-prooflike with appreciable reflectivity in the fields. Otherwise, this landmark is satiny in texture with only small, wispy handling marks precluding an even higher grade. The 1858-O is a low mintage issue with just 35,250 coins struck. The vast majority of examples were consumed by commercial use, and most numismatic scholars accept an estimate of only 150 to 200 pieces extant in all grades. The typical survivor grades EF or AU and is likely to trace its provenance to a group of circulated examples that entered numismatic channels during the 1990s. Mint State coins are exceedingly rare with Doug Winter (<em>Gold Coins of the New Orleans Mint: 1839-1909</em>, 2006 edition) accounting for just six or seven examples at any Mint State level. Four of the Uncirculated survivors are from the treasure recovered from the <em>S.S. Republic</em> shipwreck. The present example is the finest of that quartet and also the finest certified 1858-O double eagle from any source. Earlier offered by in Heritages sale of January 2015 where it realized $164,500 in lot 4371, this piece is a true "wonder coin" among New Orleans Mint twenties that would serve as a focal point in any specialized gold collection.<p>The <em>S.S. Republic</em> foundered in a hurricane off the coast of Georgia in 1865 shortly after the end of the Civil War. At the time of its loss, the ship was carrying $400,000 in silver and gold from New York City to New Orleans. Located in 2003 and subsequently salvaged by Odyssey Marine Exploration, the shipwreck yielded a treasure of 51,000 coins and 14,000 other artifacts. Among the coins were numerous double eagles from the 1850s and 1860s, including a number of condition rarities such as the 1858-O offered here.<br /><p>The story of the <em>S.S. Republic</em> is detailed by Q. David Bowers in <em>Lost and Found Coin Hoards and Treasures</em>, Whitman Publishing, 2015. <em>A Guide Book of United States Coins</em>, 2018 edition, gives a thumbnail sketch on page 33.，PCGS# 8924. NGC ID: 2698.，Combined PCGS and NGC Population: 1; 0 finer.，Ex <em>S.S. Republic</em>.
