1868 Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-61 (PCGS). CAC. A beautiful example, both sides possess strong mint luster for the grade with undeniable original color. Bold to sharp striking detail is also notable. Most Type II Liberty double eagles of 1866 to 1876 are highly elusive in Mint State, and even "common date" Type II twenties such as the 1873 Open 3 and 1875-S are scarce relative to the market demand for them. The 1868 is actually the rarest Type II Liberty Head twenty from the Philadelphia Mint, per Doug Winter and Mike Fuljenz (2004), and the present offering is sure to see significant interest.<p></p><p>The nation was still picking up the pieces from the Civil War when the modest mintage of only 98,575 double eagles rolled off the Philadelphia Mints presses in 1868. Preservation of such a high denomination coin like a double eagle was not a priority for most at the time. Many of these comparatively few coins were used for international payments and spent decades in bank vaults before finally being repatriated. As a result, most of the surviving examples are in the middle to higher end of the circulated grade scale and very few are Mint State, and those are mostly heavily abraded. Original, superior-quality Uncirculated 1868 double eagles such as this are few and far between. An opportunity not easily overlooked.</p> From the Fairmont Collection-Hendricks Set.
