1889-S Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-64 (PCGS).An uncommonly well preserved 1889-S twenty, both sides have a predominantly smooth appearance to highly lustrous surfaces. Frosty to modestly semi-reflective in finish with a sharp strike and beautiful golden-rose patina. The San Francisco Mint produced 774,700 double eagles during the year 1889, a typically large production figure for the West Coast facility. David W. Akers, writing in 1982, noted that prior to the 1960s, the 1889-S was rare in Mint State and that some major collections of the era such as Roach, Flanagan, Atwater, Baldenhofer, Melish, and many others had to be satisfied with circulated specimens. Beginning on an especially large scale in the 1960s, and to a much greater extent in subsequent years, Uncirculated examples from overseas hoards were imported back into the United States, so that by 2004 when Q. David Bowers penned his <em>Guide Book of Double Eagles</em>, he supplied a high-end estimate for Uncirculated examples at 2,500 or more coins. With the typical example grading no finer than MS-63, this premium quality MS-64 is sure to catch the eye of quality conscious gold collectors.From the Fairmont Collection.
