1858-S Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-61 (PCGS).Warm rose-gold patina mingles with frosty mint luster on both sides of this attractively original example. Sharply, if not fully struck throughout with superior quality and eye appeal for the assigned grade. The mintage for the 1858-S double eagle is 846,710 pieces, down more than 123,000 coins from the 1857-S tally. Face value for the issue is $16,934,200. Though this issue has been represented in just about every major double eagle collection ever to cross the auction block, the typical example has been in worn condition, at which levels we estimate that 1,000 to 1,400 coins are extant. The 1858-S is a significant condition rarity in Mint State with only a few dozen examples known. Some 1858-S double eagles were reported in the treasure recovered from the <em>S.S. Republic</em> shipwreck. However, that loss occurred seven years after 1858-S twenties were minted, and most of the recovered coins were in AU condition, with only a few at the lowest end of Uncirculated condition, and heavily abraded. The fact that many of the coins were being transported in kegs didnt improve their condition for collectors today, more than a century-and-a-half later. Premium coins at all Mint State grade levels are rarities, a fact that confirms the significance of this offering for the quality conscious double eagle enthusiast.PCGS Population: 15; with a single MS-63 finer.From the Fairmont Collection.
