1850 Liberty Head Double Eagle. AU-50 (PCGS).Painted in rich saffron-gold hues, this example is an ideal representative of this premier issue. Original mint luster hangs like a cloud around the design elements, blooming with each tilt under a light source. The surfaces are smooth and without abrasions, leaving just a thin mark within the stars on the reverse as the only convenient pedigree marker for future cataloging. <p>The mintage for the Philadelphia Mints first regular issue double eagle is 1,170,261 circulation strikes, or $23,405,220 face value. Upon its debut in 1850 the $20 gold double eagle supplanted the $10 gold eagle as the largest regular issue denomination produced by the United States Mint. The double eagle came about as a result of the California Gold Rush, and the federal government soon realized that a large denomination coin would serve as a convenient storehouse for the vast quantities of precious metal that were soon flowing east.From the Soberman Collection.
