1888-S Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-64 (PCGS). CAC.,The lovely rose-orange surfaces of this San Francisco Mint double eagle support a full strike and satin luster throughout. The vast majority of the 859,600 double eagles struck in our westernmost mint in 1888 probably served extensively in commerce, while others were used for overseas trade or kept on reserve for the redemption of currency. Back in 1982, David Akers reported appearances of Uncirculated examples in only about 10% of the major auction sales examined by him while preparing his double eagle opus. He regarded the issue as "moderately scarce" in Mint State. In subsequent years, the number of Mint State examples increased dramatically, and by 2004 when Dave Bowers wrote his <em>Guide Book of Double Eagles,</em> the high end Mint State estimate had swelled to over 2,500 pieces. Upper end Choice pieces such as this remain rare from a condition standpoint, however, and with Gems virtually unknown we anticipate keen bidder interest in the present offering.,PCGS# 9009. NGC ID: 26BU.,PCGS Population: 59; just 2 finer (both MS-64+).,