1857 Liberty Head Double Eagle. AU-58 (PCGS). CAC.A handsome medium gold example with a sharply executed strike and frosty mint luster. Rather smooth in hand, especially relative to the assigned grade. The Philadelphia Mint produced slightly more double eagles in 1857 than it did the previous year, although this issues mintage of 439,375 circulation strikes is still modest for the era. Face value for the issue amounted to $8,787,500. While the <em>S.S. Central America</em> treasure made thousands of Mint State San Francisco Mint double eagles from 1857 available to todays advanced collectors, the Philadelphia Mint coins of this date remain scarce. Somewhat available in lower circulated grades, nonetheless, the 1857 becomes increasingly more challenging to locate the closer one comes to the Mint State threshold.From the Fairmont Collection.
