1867 Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-60 (PCGS).Lively satin to softly frosted luster mingles with warm medium gold patina on both sides of this lovely example. Sharply struck throughout, and uncommonly so for a circulation strike double eagle of this design type, there is much to recommend this coin to advanced gold enthusiasts. The mintage of this Philadelphia Mint issue is 251,015 circulation strikes, or $5,020,300 face value. An exception to the general rule for double eagle issues from the Civil War and Reconstruction eras, many were sent to Europe, and of these at least a few hundred were not melted. Q. David Bowers estimates the Mint State population at 350 to 500, which is a dramatically larger figure than is usually seen for Philadelphia Mint double eagles from the 1860s. David W. Akers in 1982 wrote that these came from Europe in the 1960s, and he was of the opinion that there were multiple hoards. Perhaps there were simply multiple disbursements from a single hoard, as the surface characteristics are said to be similar for these pieces. This is a truly impressive coin for the assigned grade, and a find for Mint State type and date collectors alike.From the Fairmont Collection.