1904 Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-67 (PCGS). A satiny golden-apricot 1904 double eagle with razor sharp striking detail throughout the design. The surfaces are silky smooth and impressively well preserved for both the issue and the type. By the early 20th century gold coins no longer actively circulated within the United States, except for limited use on the West Coast, where local needs were easily met by the San Francisco Mint. As such, it seems that most 1904 Philadelphia Mint double eagles were used in international commerce, generally in the form of shipment to England or France. Hundreds of thousands of these coins returned to the United States beginning after World War Two, and the 1904 is the most available issue of its type in Mint State. At the Superb Gem Uncirculated level, as here, the 1904 is an extraordinary condition rarity. Even our recent impressive offerings from the Fairmont Collection have not yielded an example certified finer than MS-66. The Cardinal Collection specimen that sold in our November 2017 Baltimore Auction was the previous record holder for highest graded 1904 double eagle in our archives; it was certified MS-66+ by PCGS. In fact, only one of the three PCGS MS-67s has ever sold at auction. The coin that realized $73,438 in Legends June 2019 Regency Auction 33 was a different example than that offered here, and it sold in a different market. We would not be surprised to see this beautiful specimen sell for an even stronger bid. PCGS# 9045. NGC ID: 26CY. PCGS Population: 3; 0 finer.
