1856 Liberty Head Double Eagle. AU-58 (PCGS). Wonderfully original pinkish-honey surfaces retain plenty of sharp to full striking detail and frosty mint luster in a minimally circulated Type I Liberty Head twenty. The mintage for the 1856 is 329,878 circulation strikes, down nearly 40,000 pieces from the previous years figure. The face value of Philadelphia Mint double eagles struck that year is $6,597,560. The 1856 is considered by many to be a common date, no doubt because of the size of the mintages that occurred in Philadelphia at the beginning of the series. With regard to higher grades nothing could be further from the truth. This date has long been respected by specialists in the denomination as one of the more challenging Philadelphia Mint issues of the 1850s, especially in attractive high grade condition, as here. Of the perhaps 500 to 700 circulated examples extant, most grade VF to EF, this handsome Choice AU among the finest that we have offered in recent years. From our sale of the Fairmont Collection, March 2020 Auction, lot 4290. From our sale of the Fairmont Collection, March 2020 Auction, lot 4290.
