1891-S Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-64 (PCGS). CAC.Uncommonly well preserved for an example of this otherwise readily obtainable issue, this endearing near-Gem sports billowy mint frost, vivid rose-orange patina and razor sharp striking detail. Mintage for the 1891-S double eagle amounted to 1,288,125 pieces, up more than 485,000 coins from the preceding years tally at the West Coast mint. Face value was $25,762,500. We estimate that 6,000 to 8,000 or even more Mint State coins are extant, most of those in the MS-60 to 62 grade range, but with enough forays into MS-63 or marginally finer to go around. As with so many issues in the Liberty Head double eagle series, the 1891-S is rare in higher Mint State grades, the present example ranking among the finest certified available to todays advanced collectors. If you had been collecting double eagles 60 years ago a Mint State 1891-S would have been a scarcity if not a rarity. Today we are so fortunate to have many double eagles available in Uncirculated preservation. The same can be said for Morgan and Peace dollars -- due to hoards they are much easier to collect now than they were two or three generations ago. This situation has propelled silver dollars and double eagles to high positions on the popularity charts.From the Fairmont Collection.
