1857-S Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-62 (PCGS). CAC.Highly desirable Mint State quality for this ever-popular issue among Type I Liberty Head double eagles. Vivid medium gold patina blends with frosty mint luster to support handsome eye appeal. Sharply struck, originally preserved and aesthetically appealing, this endearing coin should have no difficulty finding its way into an Uncirculated type or date set. The mintage of 970,500 pieces for the 1857-S represents a reduction of nearly 220,000 coins from the preceding years tally. Face value for the issue is $19,410,000. Until the S.S. Central America treasure reached the marketplace, the 1857-S was considered a fairly rare item, especially so in Mint State. Indeed, prior to the advent of that treasure in the numismatic marketplace, many name collections featured only a VF or EF specimen. Since the S.S. Central America treasure brought more than 5,400 Mint State 1857-S double eagles into the collecting community -- including some fantastic Gems and Superb Gems -- this issue is now by far the most plentiful Type I Liberty Head double eagle in high grades. With warmer patina that tends more toward a honey-gold shade, however, the coin offered here has a different appearance than that of most S.S. Central America 1857-S twenties, suggesting that it is one of the scarce Mint State examples that entered numismatic circles through repatriations of classic U.S. Mint gold coins from foreign bank hoards. Sure to please, and worthy of the strongest bids.
