1854 Liberty Head Double Eagle. Large Date. AU-53 (PCGS).This handsome and fully original example is evenly patinated in warm honey-rose. Boldly, if not sharply defined over all features with plenty of frosty mint luster remaining. Circulation strike double eagle production at the Philadelphia Mint amounted to 757,899 coins in 1854, a total that was split between Small Date and Large Date varieties. The latter is by far the rarer date style of the issue, and it likely amounts to no more than 10% of the coins extant. According to Q. David Bowers (2004) the 1854 Large Date is by [far] the rarest Philadelphia Mint double eagle minted up to this point in time. The Mint also used the Large Date logotype of this variety in production of 1854 Liberty Seated silver dollars.
