1862-S Liberty Head Double Eagle. AU-58 (NGC). A vivid and lustrous rose-orange example that is knocking on the door of a full Mint State grade. While the economic repercussions of the Civil War resulted in a sharp decrease in double eagle production at the Philadelphia Mint beginning in 1862, the San Francisco Mint remained busy churning out generous numbers of these coins. Records state that 854,173 examples were struck at the California facility, or $17,083,460 in face value. These coins circulated on the West Coast in an era in which they were not seen in commerce in the East and Midwest. Although less than 1/2 of 1% of the mintage for the 1862-S is extant, circulated examples exist in such numbers -- Bowers (2004) says 2,500 to 3,500 pieces -- that locating one should be relatively easy under normal market conditions. With Mint State survivors of the 1862-S highly elusive in todays market, this Choice About Uncirculated example is sure to see spirited bidding among advanced double eagle collectors.
