Heritage World Coin Auctions
FUN Signature US Coin Sale 1251 4-6 & 8-9 Jan 2017
View prices realized
► Sale information
Find similar lots
Liberty Double Eagles
1861-O $20 AU55 PCGS. Variety 1. The final Antebellum issue coined at the New Orleans Mint, at the very dawn of the Civil War, the 1861-O ranks among the more elusive Liberty twenties, with a mintage of just 17,741 coins struck during the early months of the year. Coinage was conducted by three different governments. Although actual records are unavailable, Jeff Garrett and Ron Guth estimate 5,000 coins were struck under authority of the United States, 9,750 examples under authority of the State of Louisiana, and 2,991 specimens under the auspices of the Confederacy. No more double eagles were struck at the Southern facility until 1879.
Noted gold authority Douglas Winter examined several hundred auction catalog descriptions and plates of 1861-O double eagles to form his opinion that the early strikes under U.S. authority have a weak date and a perfect, uncracked obverse die, and later strikes under Louisiana or Confederate authority have a strong date and cracked obverse die. The present piece has considerable weakness at the date, and a perfect die with no trace of the crack that eventually appears above star 2.
The coin offered here is an attractive Choice AU example with brilliant yellow surfaces that exhibit considerable luster and sharply detailed design features. The surfaces are relatively clean, with only a few minor marks on either side. A diagonal mark on Liberty's neck may serve as a pedigree marker. Both sides retain considerable reflectivity in the fields, further attesting to its early production date. Population: 17 in 55, 8 finer (10/16).
Ex: Central States Signature (Heritage, 4/2008), lot 2494.
From The Renz Family Collection of $20 Gold Coins.
1861-O $20 AU55 PCGS. Variety 1. The final Antebellum issue coined at the New Orleans Mint, at the very dawn of the Civil War, the 1861-O ranks among the more elusive Liberty twenties, with a mintage of just 17,741 coins struck during the early months of the year. Coinage was conducted by three different governments. Although actual records are unavailable, Jeff Garrett and Ron Guth estimate 5,000 coins were struck under authority of the United States, 9,750 examples under authority of the State of Louisiana, and 2,991 specimens under the auspices of the Confederacy. No more double eagles were struck at the Southern facility until 1879.
Noted gold authority Douglas Winter examined several hundred auction catalog descriptions and plates of 1861-O double eagles to form his opinion that the early strikes under U.S. authority have a weak date and a perfect, uncracked obverse die, and later strikes under Louisiana or Confederate authority have a strong date and cracked obverse die. The present piece has considerable weakness at the date, and a perfect die with no trace of the crack that eventually appears above star 2.
The coin offered here is an attractive Choice AU example with brilliant yellow surfaces that exhibit considerable luster and sharply detailed design features. The surfaces are relatively clean, with only a few minor marks on either side. A diagonal mark on Liberty's neck may serve as a pedigree marker. Both sides retain considerable reflectivity in the fields, further attesting to its early production date. Population: 17 in 55, 8 finer (10/16).
Ex: Central States Signature (Heritage, 4/2008), lot 2494.
From The Renz Family Collection of $20 Gold Coins.