1852 Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-62+ (PCGS).Lovely medium gold patina with tinges of olive and orange evident as the coin rotates under a light. Satin to softly frosted luster blankets both sides, the surfaces of which are uncommonly smooth for both the issue and the assigned grade. A sharp to full strike rounds out an impressive list of physical attributes for this premium quality example. The mintage for the circulation strike 1852 double eagle is 2,053,026 pieces, or $41,060,520 face value. As with most early Philadelphia Mint double eagles, the quantity struck reflects the huge influx of gold from the California gold fields that was shipped to the Northeast beginning in 1849, then growing considerably larger with each passing year. The Philadelphia mintages would begin to lessen in size, however, after the opening of the mint at San Francisco in 1854, although not to the same extent as in New Orleans. Most 1852 double eagles remained in the United States and were used in domestic commerce, though many were sent overseas years later, by which time the coins had already acquired considerable wear. Todays research suggests that only 50 to 75 <em>different</em> examples of this otherwise relatively common issue can be accounted for in Mint State, with most of the known survivors at the lower end of the grading scale. Indeed, even a coin in MS-60 or MS-61 represents a significant find in todays market. Nearly in the Choice Uncirculated category, the coin offered here represents a significant find for the astute bidder.<p>PCGS Population: 1; 16 finer (MS-64+ finest).From the Fairmont Collection.
