1863-S Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-61 (PCGS). A wonderfully original example bathed in frosty mint luster and warm rose-orange patina. The mintage for the 1863-S double eagle is 966,570 pieces, a substantial production figure for the Civil War era. This issue circulated extensively in West Coast commerce at a time when specie had virtually disappeared from day-to-day transactions in the Midwest and the East. Although many were likely exported overseas in later years, survival rates are comparable to most other double eagle issues from the early to mid 1860s. Q David Bowers estimated an Uncirculated population of 30 to 50 different pieces in his 2004 <em>Guide Book of Double Eagles</em>. David W. Akers enumerated 15 listings of examples cataloged as Uncirculated in his 1982 study of double eagle auction records. All bets were off when Odyssey Marine Exploration later discovered the lost wreck of the <em>S.S. Republic</em>, which yielded a further 175 pieces. As treasure-found twenties typically do, these soon found their way into collections and, today, market appearances for Mint State examples are few and far between.
