1881-O Liberty Head Eagle. Winter 1, the only known dies. MS-60 (PCGS).

Rich reddish-rose and orange-honey in color with significant prooflike reflectivity in the fields. Uniformly sharp, remarkably attractive, and with no sizable marks, this coin is a premium quality BU 1881-O eagle. After the Civil War, the New Orleans Mint did not resume production of the eagle until 1879, and then only in modest quantities. All three of the New Orleans Mint eagles dated 1880 to 1882 are important rarities in today's numismatic market. The 1881-O is the most elusive issue in this group, and it ranks third in both absolute and high grade rarity among the 16 O-Mint eagles of the Motto type. At the time of striking, collecting coins by mintmark had not yet taken off, therefore very little numismatic notice was paid to this issue. Once the 1881-O eagle found an audience, Mint State examples were generally unavailable, making it a significant condition rarity. The present example is one of perhaps only 275 to 325 coins extant in all grades (per Doug Winter, 2020). Mint State survivors number fewer than 10 coins, and this newcomer from the Fairmont Collection is among the finest known and certainly among the most desirable.

PCGS# 8693. NGC ID: 265Y.

PCGS Population: 7; 4 finer (all MS-61).

From the Fairmont Collection - CBL Set.