1871-S Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-61 (PCGS). CAC. Billowy mint frost and classic yellow-gold patina blanket both sides of this endearing piece. Fully struck over virtually all design elements, this uncommonly smooth MS-61 is sure to sell for a strong premium. The mintage for this popular San Francisco Mint issue is 928,000 pieces with a total face value of $18,560,000. Some small amount of this dates mintage later found its way into foreign banking transactions. Many of the low range Uncirculated pieces known today owe their existence to the return of those exported coins to America in the mid-20th century. We estimate that 50 to 80 Mint State examples of the date can be accounted for today. Prior to the mid-20th century, as alluded to above, the 1871-S was seldom seen in the marketplace, and when encountered at all was apt to grade no finer than EF. This is one of the finer examples available to todays quality conscious gold enthusiasts. From the Fairmont Collection.
