1873-CC Liberty Head Double Eagle. EF-45 (PCGS).An attractive and original example with golden wheat patina and darker accents across the high points. Considerable luster remains in the fields and complements the overall bold design elements. A few minor bagmarks are visible with a glass but none individually draw the naked-eye.<p><p><p>The 1873-CC is the lowest mintage Carson City Mint double eagle of the 1872 to 1877 era, with just 22,410 struck, despite a significant increase in the amount of gold bullion being mined in the nearby Comstock Lode. Most of this bullion continued to be shipped to California and, eventually, the East Coast as double eagle production at the San Francisco and Philadelphia mints increased dramatically in 1873. With only 575 to 650 survivors accounted for in all grades (per Rusty Goe, 2012), the 1873-CC ranks among the scarcer Liberty double eagles from the historic Carson City Mint.<p><p>From the Fairmont Collection.
