1874-CC Liberty Head Double Eagle. AU-58 (PCGS). Endearing honey-orange patina blankets both sides and mingles with strong cartwheel luster. The strike is well executed for a Type II Liberty Head double eagle, with all but a few isolated high points boldly to sharply defined. The surfaces are exceptionally smooth and display strong eye appeal. Were it not for just the slightest amount of wear, we would see no issue with the present coin in a Mint State holder and with such coins measurably more difficult to obtain, there is much to recommend this specimen to an advanced Double Eagle collector.Unlike most of the double eagles produced in this period, those struck at the Carson City Mint tended to remain close to their place of origin, serving the local communitys needs for many years. This was certainly the case for the 115,085 double eagles coined at the Carson City Mint in 1874 which immediately entered commerce and stayed there. With little, if any, numismatic interest at the time in much of the Western frontier, there was essentially no effort to preserve any in high grade. Some managed to make their way in the course of trade throughout the country and eventually in sacks of other double eagles that ended up in overseas holdings, but by this time most had already seen considerable wear. When these coins made their way back stateside in the 1940s and later, few high grade examples were among these survivors. Only a few examples come close to Mint State and even when they do it is not above MS-62. Choice AU specimens are especially desirable and eagerly sought after for this conditionally challenging issue.
