1868-S Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-62+ (PCGS). Wisps of pale rose mingle with dominant honey-orange color on both sides of this handsome, pleasingly original example. Boldly struck overall for an example of the challenging Type II Liberty Head double eagle, the reverse is actually sharply defined throughout. Both sides are very smooth and well composed for an issue that is elusive even in lower Mint State grades.<p>Consistent with other years during the 1860s, the production of double eagles at the San Francisco Mint was immense, dwarfing that of the Philadelphia facility. In 1868, some 837,500 examples were coined and most entered into the channels of commerce along the Pacific Coast, where gold was used in day-to-day transactions as freely as paper money was used back East. Many others were likely shipped overseas and melted. Q. David Bowers estimated a population of just five to eight different Uncirculated examples when he wrote his <em>Guide Book of Double Eagles</em> in 2004. This estimate agrees nicely with David W. Akers 1982 research, finding six examples cataloged as Mint State in a survey of more than 400 major auction sales. More recently, it would appear that a number of additional MS-60/61 quality examples have come onto the market although, like its identically dated Philadelphia Mint counterpart, the 1868-S remains a major rarity in Mint State. Very close to Choice Uncirculated, this offering from the Fairmont Collection is for a newcomer to the census that is tied for finest certified by PCGS with only two other grading events in MS-62+. It is an impressive condition rarity that would serve as a highlight in any collection.</p> From the Fairmont Collection-Hendricks Set.
