1881-CC Liberty Head Eagle. VF-30 (PCGS). CAC.This is a warmly patinated, fully original example bathed in blended deep khaki and pale rose. Uncommonly smooth for a mid grade Carson City Mint ten with faint remnants of satiny mint luster. It is the sign of the rarity of this mintmarked gold series that the 1881-CC, with just 24,015 pieces produced, ranks among the highest mintage Carson City Mint eagles. In his cataloging for our August 2012 sale of the Battle Born Collection of Carson City Mint Coinage, Rusty Goe estimates that 600 to 695 examples are extant in all grades. In the same catalog description, Q. David Bowers takes a more conservative view and allows for just 250 to 400 survivors. Regardless of which estimate is closer to the truth, one thing is for certain -- many 1881-CC eagles in numismatic hands are impaired due to cleaning, damage or other problems. Attractively original survivors, as here, are scarce to rare in all grades and always in demand.From the Fairmont Collection.
